UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT  LOS  ANGELES 


Z///t€£    S-M***' 


THE  LAST  CRUISE  OF 
THE  SAGINAW 


LIEUTENANT-COMMANDER   MONTGOMERY   SICARD 


THE  LAST  CRUISE  OF 
THE  SAGINAW 

BY 

GEORGE  H.   READ 

PAY  IN8PECTOB,   U.    8.   N.    (BETIRED) 

With  Illustrations  from  Sketches  by  Lieutenant 

Commander  (afterwards  Rear-Admiral) 

Sicard  and  from  Contemporary 

Photographs 


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BOSTON   AND   NEW  YORK 
HOUGHTON    MIFFLIN    COMPANY 

(Cbe  Cliberjtfibe  $te#$  «Eambti&0e 
1912 


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COPYRIGHT,   19 12,  BY   GEORGE   H.  READ 
ALL   RIGHTS   RESERVED 

Published  February  1912 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTY  COPIES  OF 
THIS  FIRST  EDITION  PRINTED  AND 
BOUND    UNCUT   WITH    PAPER    LABEL 


*    '.*•     •      ,*•  .'•  •  .•    •••       •  •»•  •*•  *  .*    •«      •'.    ,< 

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* « *  *    * 


THIS  BOOK 

IS  DEDICATED  TO  THE  MEMORY  OF  THE  NOBLE 

MEN  WHO  LOST  THEIR  LIVES  IN  THE 

EFFORT  TO  OBTAIN  RELIEF  FOR 

THEIR    SHIPWRECKED 

COMRADES 


186478 


PREFACE 

Dear  Mr.  Read:  — 

I  am  greatly  obliged  to  you  for  letting  me 
read  your  deeply  interesting  account  of  the 
wreck  of  the  poor  Saginaw  and  the  loss  of 
Lieutenant  Talbot.  With  General  Cutter's 
approval  I  shall  take  the  manuscript  with  me 
to  Boston,  but  I  will  return  it  carefully. 

I  leave  the  two  photographs,  but  I  have  the 
curious  drawing  and  newspaper  scraps,  which 
I  will  safely  return. 

Very  truly  yours, 

Edward  E.  Hale. 

Dec.  21,  1880. 

Washington. 

A  recent  re-reading  of  the  above  old  letter 
from  a  friend  who  in  his  lifetime  stood  so  high 

(  vii) 


PREFACE 

in  the  literary  world,  has,  together  with  the 
suggestions  of  other  friends  and  shipmates, 
decided  me  to  launch  my  narrative  of  the 
cruise  and  wreck  of  the  Saginaw  on  the  sea  of 
publicity. 

The  story  itself  may  be  lost  in  the  immense 
current  of  literature  constantly  pouring  forth, 
but  some  good  friends  advise  me  to  the  con- 
trary. 

The  fact  that  stories  of  sea  life  and  adven- 
ture have  ever  possessed  the  power  to  attract 
the  interest  and  stir  the  imagination,  adds  to 
the  courage  given  me  to  set  forth  my  plain 
unadorned  story  without  any  pretensions  to 
literary  excellence. 

Some  of  the  first  instructions  given  to  a 
newly  fledged  naval  officer  enjoin  upon  him 
the  necessity  for  brevity  and  directness  in  his 
official  communications,  both  oral  and  writ- 
ten, and  eventually  he  becomes  addicted  to 
formal  expressions  that  pervade  his  entire  cor- 

(  viii  ) 


PREFACE 

respondence.  Eloquence  or  sentiment  would 
probably  be  crushed  with  a  reprimand.  I 
trust,  therefore,  that  the  reader  will  consider 
the  above  conditions  as  they  have  surrounded 
me  throughout  my  service,  should  he  or  she 
find  a  lack  of  decorative  language  in  my  nar- 
rative. 

To  my  mind,  as  a  participant  in  the  related 
events,  there  is  material  in  the  story  to  rival 
the  fictions  of  Fenimore  Cooper  or  Marryat, 
and  I  think  that  the  heroes  who  gave  up  their 
lives  in  the  effort  to  save  their  shipmates 
should  stand  as  high  on  the  roll  of  fame  as  do 
those  lost  amid  battle  smoke  and  carnage. 

G.  H.  It. 

August  16, 1911. 


CONTENTS 

I.  The  Beginning  of  the  Cruise  1 

II.  The  Wreck  12 

III.  On  the  Island  31 

IV.  The  Sailing  of  the  Gig  58 
V.  Waiting  72 

VI.  Rescued  85 

VII.   The  Fate  of  the  Gig  96 

Appended  121 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

LlEUT.-CoMMANDEB   MoNTGOMEET  SlCARD 

Frontispiece 
U.S.  Steamer  Saginaw,  Fourth-Rate  2 

The  Landing  at  Midway  Islands,  showing 
Seals  and  Albatross  8 

From  a  sketch  by  Captain  Sicard 

The  Midway  Islands  as  we  left  Them        8 

i 

Ocean  Island  and  Reef  14 

View  of  Ocean  Island,  Reef  and  Lagoon 
as  seen  from  the  South  16 

(The  island  is  at  the  lower  edge  of  the  circle) 

Ocean  Island  as  viewed  from  the  North    16 

(The  arrow  shows  where  the  Saginaw  struck) 

The  Saginaw  in  the  Grip  of  the  Breakers    24 

The  Condenser  made  from  a  Small  Boiler 
and  Speaking-Tubes  36 

From  a  sketch  by  Captain  Sicard 

(  xiii  ) 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Gathering  Timbers  from  the  Wreck         36 

From  a  sketch  by  Captain  Sicard 

The  Captain's  Tent  42 

From  a  sketch  by  Captain  Sicard 

The    Storehouse  —  elevated    to    avoid 
the  Rats  42 

From  a  sketch  by  Captain  Sicard 

Lieutenant  John  G.  Talbot  46 

(Who  volunteered  and  navigated  the  Saginaw's 
gig  a  distance  of  fourteen  hundred  miles  to  the 
Sandwich  Islands  and  was  drowned  when  the 
boat  was  in  sight  of  land) 

The  Gig  before  Launching,  with  Sails 
made  on  the  island  54 

Passed  Assistant  Engineer  James  But- 
terworth  62 

(Who,  standing  waist  deep  in  the  water,  put  the 
finishing  touches  to  the  gig) 

Ripping  Timbers  for  the  Schooner     74 

From  a  sketch  by  Captain  Sicard 

The  Frame  of  the  Schooner.as  we  left  It    74 

From  a  sketch  by  Captain  Sicard 

(  xiv  ) 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  Flagstaff  from  which  the  Kilauea 
was  sighted  86 

Camp  Saginaw  on  the  Day  of  Rescue       86 

Taken  from  the  masthead  of  the  Kilauea 

Captain  Long,  Commander  of  the  Hawai- 
ian Steamer  the  Kilauea  90 

Mr.  John  Paty's  Bungalow  at  Honolulu    98 

Starboard  Side  of  the  Gig  after  her 
Eventful  Journey  102 

Deck  View  of  the  Gig  after  her  Event- 
ful Journey  102 

William  Halford,  Coxswain,  the  Only 
Survivor  of  the  Gig's  Crew  110 

(He  is  now  a  retired  chief  gunner  in  the  Navy) 

The  Tablet  now  on  the  Walls  of  the 
Chapel  at  the  United  States  Naval 
Academy  at  Annapolis  119 


THE  LAST  CRUISE  OF  THE 
SAGINAW 


THE   BEGINNING   OF   THE   CRUISE 

During  the  winter  of  1869-70  the  United 
States  Steamer  Saginaw  was  being  repaired  at 
the  Mare  Island  Navy  Yard,  and  her  officers 
and  crew  were  recuperating  after  a  cruise  on 
the  west  coast  of  Mexico,  —  a  trying  one  for 
all  hands  on  board  as  well  as  for  the  vessel 
itself. 

The  "Alta-Californian"  of  San  Francisco 
published  the  following  soon  after  our  return 
from  the  Mexican  coast.  It  is  all  that  need 
be  said  of  the  cruise.  We  were  all  very  glad  to 
have  it  behind  us  and  forget  it. 

The  Saginaw,  lately  returned  from  the  Mexican 
coast,  had  a  pretty  severe  experience  during  her 

(  1  ) 


THE  LAST  CRUISE  OF  THE  SAGINAW 

short  cruise.  At  Manzanillo  she  contracted  the 
coast  fever,  a  form  of  remittent,  and  at  one  time 
had  twenty-five  cases,  but  a  single  death,  however, 
occurring. 

On  the  way  up,  most  of  the  time  under  sail,  the 
machinery  being  disabled,  the  voyage  was  so  pro- 
longed that  when  she  arrived  at  San  Francisco 
there  was  not  a  half -day's  allowance  of  provisions 
on  board  and  for  many  days  the  officers  had  been 
on  "ship's  grub." 

Our  repairs  and  refitting  were  but  prelimin- 
ary to  another  (and  the  last)  departure  of  the 
Saginaw  from  her  native  land.  Our  captain, 
Lieutenant-Commander  Montgomery  Sicard, 
had  received  orders  to  proceed  to  the  Mid- 
way Islands,  via  Honolulu,  and  to  comply 
with  instructions  that  will  appear  later  in 
these  pages.  (I  should  explain  here  that  the 
commanding  officer  of  a  single  vessel  is  usually 
addressed  as  "Captain,"  whatever  his  real 
rank  may  be,  and  I  shall  use  that  term  through- 
out my  narrative.) 

(2) 


r.        ^ 

1       ef 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  CRUISE 

In  a  northwesterly  direction  from  the 
Sandwich  Islands  there  stretches  for  over  a 
thousand  miles  a  succession  of  coral  reefs  and 
shoals,  with  here  and  there  a  sandy  islet 
thrown  up  by  the  winds  and  waves.  They  are 
mostly  bare  of  vegetation  beyond  a  stunted 
growth  of  bushes.  These  islets  are  called 
"atolls"  by  geographers,  and  their  founda- 
tions are  created  by  the  mysterious  "polyps" 
or  coral  insects. 

These  atolls  abound  in  the  Pacific  Ocean, 
and  rising  but  a  few  feet  above  the  surface, 
surrounded  by  uncertain  and  uncharted  cur- 
rents, are  the  dread  of  navigators. 

Near  the  centre  of  the  North  Pacific  and 
near  the  western  end  of  the  chain  of  atolls 
above  mentioned,  are  two  small  sand  islands 
in  the  usual  lagoon,  with  a  coral  reef  enclosing 
both.  They  were  discovered  by  an  American 
captain,  N.  C.  Brooks,  of  the  Hawaiian 
bark  Gambia,  and  by  him  reported;  were  sub- 

(3)  • 


THE  LAST  CRUISE  OF  THE  SAGINAW 

sequently  visited  by  the  United  States  Steamer 
Lackawanna  and  surveyed  for  charting. 

No  importance  other  than  the  danger  to 
navigation  was  at  that  time  attached  to  these 
mere  sandbanks.  Now,  however,  the  trans- 
Pacific  railroads,  girdling  the  continent  and 
making  valuable  so  many  hitherto  insignific- 
ant places,  have  cast  their  influence  three 
thousand  miles  across  the  waters  to  these  ob- 
scure islets.  The  expected  increase  of  com- 
merce between  the  United  States  and  the 
Orient  has  induced  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship 
Company  to  look  for  a  halfway  station  as  a 
coaling-depot,  and  these,  the  Midway  Islands, 
are  expected  to  answer  the  purpose  when  the 
proposed  improvements  are  made.  To  do  the 
work  of  deepening  a  now  shallow  channel 
through  the  reef,  a  contract  has  been  awarded 
to  an  experienced  submarine  engineer  and  the 
Saginaw  has  been  brought  into  service  to 
transport  men  and  material.   Our  captain  is 

(4  ) 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  CRUISE 

to  superintend  and  to  report  monthly  on  the 
progress  made.  Thus,  with  the  voyages  out 
and  return,  coupled  with  the  several  trips  be- 
tween the  Midways  and  Honolulu,  we  have 
the  prospect  of  a  year's  deep-water  cruising 
to  our  credit. 

February  22,  1870.  Once  more  separated 
from  home  and  friends,  with  the  Golden  Gate 
dissolving  astern  in  a  California  fog  (than 
which  none  can  be  more  dense) .  Old  Neptune 
gives  us  a  boisterous  welcome  to  his  domin- 
ions, and  the  howling  of  wind  through  the  rig- 
ging, with  the  rolling  and  pitching  of  the  ship 
as  we  steam  out  to  sea,  where  we  meet  the  full 
force  of  a  stiff  "southeaster,". remind  us  that 
we  are  once  more  his  subjects. 

On  the  fourteenth  day  out  we  heard  the 
welcome  cry  of  "Land  ho!"  at  sunrise  from 
the  masthead.  It  proved  to  be  the  island  of 
Molokai,  and   the  next  day,  March  9,  we 

(  5  ) 


THE  LAST  CRUISE  OF  THE  SAGINAW 

passed  into  the  harbor  of  Honolulu  on  the  is- 
land of  Oahu.  We  found  that  our  arrival  was 
expected,  and  the  ship  was  soon  surrounded 
by  canoes  of  natives,  while  crowds  of  people 
were  on  the  wharves. 

After  six  days  spent  in  refitting  and  obtain- 
ing fresh  food  and  ship-stores,  we  took  up  our 
westward  course  with  memories  of  pleasant 
and  hospitable  treatment,  both  officially  and 
socially,  from  the  native  and  foreign  people. 
Nothing  happened  outside  of  the  usual  rou- 
tine of  sea  life  until  March  24,  when  we 
sighted  the  Midway  Islands,  and  at  8  p.m. 
were  anchored  in  Welles's  Harbor,  so  called, 
although  there  is  barely  room  in  it  to  swing 
the  ship.  The  island  is  a  desolate-looking 
place  —  the  eastern  end  of  it  covered  with 
brown  albatross  and  a  few  seal  apparently 
asleep  on  the  beach.  We  can  see  the  white 
sand  drifting  about  with  the  wind  like  snow. 
The  next  day  a  schooner  arrived  with  the  con- 

(  6  ) 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  CRUISE 

tractor's  supplies  and  lumber  for  a  dwelling 
and  a  scow,  the  latter  to  be  used  by  the  divers 
in  their  outside  work.  There  also  arrived,  to- 
wards night,  a  strong  gale.  It  blew  so  hard 
that  with  both  anchors  down  the  engines  had 
to  be  worked  constantly  to  prevent  drifting 
either  on  the  island  or  the  reef. 

During  the  month  of  April  work  both 
afloat  and  ashore  was  steadily  pushed.  The 
contractor's  house  was  set  up  and  the  divers' 
scow  completed  andlaunched.  In  addition, 
a  thorough  survey  of  the  entire  reef  and  -bar 
was  completed. 

j  Our  several  trips  between  the  Midways 
and  Honolulu  need  but  brief  mention.  They 
were  slow  and  monotonous,  being  made  mostly 
under  sail.  The  Saginaw  was  not  built  for 
that  purpose.  On  one  occasion,  on  account 
of  head  winds,  we  made  but  twenty  miles  on 
our  course  in  two  days. 

The  last  return  to  the  Midways  came  on 

(  7  ) 


THE  LAST  CRUISE  OF  THE  SAGINAW 

October  12,  and  the  appropriation  of  $50,000 
having  been  expended,  our  captain  proceeded 
to  carry  out  his  orders  directing  him  to  take 
on  board  the  contractor's  workmen  with  their 
tools  and  stores  and  transport  them  to  San 
Francisco. 

We  found  the  shore  party  all  well  and  look- 
ing forward  with  pleasure  to  the  closing  day 
of  their  contract.  They  certainly  have  had 
the  monotonous  and  irksome  end  of  the  busi- 
ness, although  we  have  not  been  able  to  de- 
rive much  pleasure  from  our  sailings  to  and 
fro. 

A  brief  resume  of  the  work  performed  dur- 
ing their  seven  months'  imprisonment  I  have 
compiled  from  the  journal  of  Passed  Assist- 
ant Engineer  Blye,  who  remained  upon  the 
island  during  our  absences. 

Their  first  attempt  at  dislodging  the  coral 
rock  on  the  bar  was  made  by  the  diver  with 
two  canisters  of  powder,  and  about  five  tons 

(  8  ) 


l(M  '  * 


mm 


THE  LANDING  AT  MIDWAY  ISLANDS 


.**•"£-*.; 


■  ■  ... 


—jl— 


gj^  TJi -  ~*y  "w*^ ...    . _.  ^-_ .  . 


THE  MIDWAY  ISLANDS  AS  WE  LEFT  THEM 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  CRUISE 

of  rock  were  dislodged  and  well  broken  up. 
Thereafter  the  work  was  intermittently  car- 
ried on,  as  weather  permitted.  During  Sep- 
tember and  October  there  were  frequent 
strong  gales  from  the  west,  and  on  such  occa- 
sions the  mouth  of  the  harbor,  being  on  that 
side,  was  dangerous  to  approach. 

After  toiling  laboriously  and  constantly 
for  six  months,  using  large  quantities  of 
powder  and  fuse,  the  result  now  is  a  passage 
through  the  bar  fifteen  feet  in  width  and  four 
hundred  feet  in  length,  whereas  one  hundred 
and  seventy  feet  in  width  is  estimated  as  es- 
sential. A  proper  completion  would  call  for  a 
much  larger  appropriation. 

During  the  month  of  April  the  thermome- 
ter ranged  from  68  degrees  at  sunrise  to  86 
degrees  at  noon  and  80  degrees  at  sundown. 
The  prevailing  winds  during  the  summer 
months  were  the  northeast  trades,  varying 
from  northeast  to  east  southeast. 

(  9  ) 


THE  LAST  CRUISE  OF  THE  SAGINAW 

A  cause  of  much  annoyance  has  been  the 
drifting  of  sand  during  high  winds,  when  it 
flies  like  driven  snow,  cutting  the  face  and 
hands.  (This  was  so  great  an  annoyance  that 
on  our  first  trip  to  Honolulu  I  purchased  for 
each  person  a  pair  of  goggles  to  protect  the 
eyes.) 

Taking  into  consideration  the  dangers  of 
navigation  in  a  neighborhood  abounding 
with  these  coral  reefs,  the  fact  that  they  are 
visible  but  a  short  distance  only  in  clear 
weather,  and  that  an  entrance  to  the  lagoon 
could  only  be  made  in  a  smooth  sea,  it  really 
seems  a  questionable  undertaking  to  attempt 
the  formation  of  an  anchorage  here  for  the 
large  steamers  of  the  Pacific  Mail  Company. 

When  the  westerly  gales  blow,  the  mouth 
of  the  lagoon  being,  as  in  most  coral  islands, 
on  that  side,  the  sea  breaks  heavily  all  over 
the  lagoon  and  no  work  can  be  done.  On  one 
occasion  the  workmen  were  returning  to  the 

(  10  ) 


i  THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  CRUISE 

island  from  the  entrance  to  the  channel  when 
one  of  these  gales  came  on  and,  as  one  of  them 
told  me,  "It  was  a  mighty  big  conundrum  at 
one  time  whether  we  would  ever  reach  the 
shore." 


II 

THE  WRECK 

With  the  homeward-bound  pennant  flying 
from  the  mainmast  head  and  with  the  con- 
tractor's working  party  on  board,  we  sailed 
from  the  Midway  Islands  on  Friday,  Octo- 
ber 29,  at  4  p.m.  for  San  Francisco.  We  had 
dragged  high  up  on  the  beach  the  scow  from 
which  the  divers  had  worked,  secured  the 
house  doors,  and  taken  a  last  look  at  the 
blinding  sand  with  thankful  hearts  for  leav- 
ing it. 

As  Doctor  Frank,  our  surgeon,  and  myself 
were  walking  down  the  beach  to  the  last  boat 
off  to  the  ship,  there  occurred  an  incident  which 
I  will  relate  here  for  psychological  students. 

He  remarked,  as  we  loitered  around  the 
landing,  that  he  felt  greatly  depressed  with- 

(  12  ) 


THE  WRECK 

out  being  able  to  define  any  cause  for  it  and 
that  he  could  not  rid  himself  of  the  impres- 
sion that  some  misfortune  was  impending.  I 
tried  to  cheer  him  up;  told  him  that  the 
"blues"  were  on  him,  when  he  ought  to  be 
rejoicing  instead;  that  we  had  a  fair  wind 
and  a  smooth  sea  to  start  us  on  a  speedy  re- 
turn to  the  old  friends  in  San  Francisco.  It 
was  in  vain,  however;  he  expressed  a  firm  be- 
lief that  we  should  meet  with  some  disaster 
on  our  voyage  and  I  dropped  the  subject 
with  a  "pooh  pooh." 

As  soon  as  we  reached  the  open  sea,  the 
captain  ordered  the  ship  headed  to  the  west- 
ward and  the  pressure  of  steam  to  be  reduced, 
as  with  topsails  set  we  sailed  along  to  a  light 
easterly  breeze.  It  was  his  intention,  he 
stated,  to  come  within  sight  of  Ocean  Island 
about  daylight  and  to  verify  its  location  by 
steaming  around  it  before  heading  away  for 
San  Francisco. 

(  13  ) 


THE   LAST  CRUISE  OF  THE  SAGINAW 

It  should  be  noted  that  it  is  in  the  direct 
line  of  a  naval  commander's  duty,  when  he  is 
in  the  neighborhood  of  such  dangers  to  navi- 
gation, to  confirm  by  observation  their  posi- 
tion on  the  charts  as  well  as  to  rescue  any 
unfortunate  persons  that  fate  may  have  cast 
away  upon  them.  Our  own  subsequent  situ- 
ation gives  proof  of  the  wisdom  of  such  a 
regulation. 

Ocean  Island  is  about  fifty  miles  to  the  west- 
ward of  the  Midway  Islands,  is  of  similar  for- 
mation, and  is  the  last  one  (so  far  as  our 
chart  shows)  in  the  chain  of  ocean  dangers 
that  I  have  referred  to  as  extending  more 
than  a  thousand  miles  to  the  westward  from 
the  Sandwich  Islands.  It  was  on  this  reef  that 
the  British  ship  Gledstanes  was  wrecked  in 
1837,  and  the  American  ship  Parker  in  Sep- 
tember, 1842,  the  crew  of  the  latter  vessel 
remaining  there  until  May,  1843,  when  they 
were  taken  off. 

(  14  ) 


OCEAN  ISLAND  AND  REEF 


THE  WRECK 

The  "Hawaiian  Spectator"  for  July,  1838, 
gives  the  following  account  of  the  loss  of  the 
Gledstanes,  captain,  J.  R.  Brown:  — 

The  vessel  was  wrecked  July  9,  1837,  at  mid- 
night. One  of  the  crew  only  was  lost,  he  having 
jumped  overboard  in  a  state  of  intoxication.  Cap- 
tain Brown  remained  on  the  island  over  five 
months,  when,  with  his  chief  mate  and  eight  sea- 
men, he  embarked  for  these  islands  in  a  schooner 
which  had  been  constructed  from  the  fragments 
of  the  wreck.  The  other  officers  and  men,  who 
remained  on  the  island  several  months  longer,  en- 
dured great  suffering  and  were  finally  brought  off 
in  a  vessel  sent  for  them  by  H.B.M.  Consul.  Cap- 
tain Brown  gave  the  following  description  of  the 
island.  "  The  island  is  in  latitude  28°  22'  North, 
and  longitude  178°  30'  West,  and  is  about  three 
miles  in  circumference.  It  is  composed  of  broken 
coral  and  shells  and  is  covered  near  the  shore  by 
low  bushes.  In  the  season  it  abounds  with  sea  birds 
and  at  times  there  are  considerable  numbers  of  hair 
seals.  The  highest  part  of  the  island  is  not  more  than 
ten  feet  above  sea  level  and  the  only  fresh  water 

(  15  ) 


THE   LAST  CRUISE  OF  THE  SAGINAW 

is  what  drains  through  the  sand  after  the  heavy- 


rains.  " 


Charles  Darwin1  has  the  following  to  say 
concerning  Ocean  Island,  which  he  character- 
izes as  a  true  "atoll,"  as  distinguished  from 
"barrier"  and  "fringing"  reefs,  which  are  gen- 
erally formed  near  the  shores  of  higher  land: 

I  have  in  vain  consulted  the  works  of  Cook, 
Vancouver,  La  Peyrouse,  and  Lisiansky  for  any 
satisfactory  account  of  the  small  islands  and  reefs 
which  lie  scattered  in  a  northwest  line  prolonged 
from  the  Sandwich  group  and  hence  have  left 
them  uncolored,  with  one  exception,  for  I  am  in- 
debted to  Mr.  F.  D.  Bennett  for  informing  me  of 
an  atoll-formed  reef  in  latitude  28°  22',  longitude 
178°  30'  West,  on  which  the  Gledstanes  was 
wrecked  in  1837.  It  is  apparently  of  large  size  and 
extends  in  a  northwest  and  southeast  line;  very 
few  inlets  have  been  formed  on  it.    The  lagoon 

1  The  Structure  and  Distribution  of  Coral  Reefs,  by  Charles 
DarwiD.  Walter  Scott:  24  Warwick  Lane,  London,  1842. 
If  Mr.  Darwin  had  known  of  the  proximity  of  the  Midway 
and  Pearl  and  Hermes  reefs  he  would  probably  have  doubts 
as  to  the  true  character  of  our  atoll. 

(  16)  J 


■  ■  :-    ■■ 


■ 


■ 


VIEW  OF  OCEAN  ISLAND,  REEF,  AND  LAGOON,  AS  SEEN 
FROM  THE  SOUTH 

(The  Island  is  at  the  lower  edge  of  the  circle.) 


OCEAN  ISLAND  AS  VIEWED  FROM  THE  NORTH 
(The  arrow  shows  where  the  Saginaw  struck.) 


THE  WRECK 

seems  to  be  shallow;  at  least  the  deepest  part  which 
was  surveyed  was  only  three  fathoms. 

Mr.  Couthony  describes  this  island  under  the 
name  of  Ocean  Island.  Considerable  doubts  should 
be  entertained  regarding  the  nature  of  a  reef  of 
this  kind  with  a  very  shallow  lagoon,  and  standing 
far  from  any  other  atoll,  on  account  of  the  possi- 
bility of  a  crater  or  flat  bank  of  rock  lying  at  the 
proper  depth  beneath  the  surface  of  the  sea,  thus 
affording  a  foundation  for  a  ring-formed  coral  reef. 

The  evening  following  the  departure  passed 
quietly  in  our  wardroom  quarters  and  in  fact 
all  over  the  ship.  Officers  and  men  were  more 
than  usually  fatigued  after  the  preparations 
for  sea  both  on  shore  and  on  board.  There 
was  none  of  the  general  hilarity  accompany- 
ing a  homeward  cruise.  There  was  also  a  pre- 
vailing dread  of  a  long  and  tedious  journey 
of  over  three  thousand  miles,  mostly  to  be 
made  under  sail,  and  we  all  knew  the  tendency 
of  the  old  Saginaw  in  a  head  wind  to  make 
eight  points  to  leeward,"  or,  as  a  landlubber 

(    17   ) 


a 


THE   LAST  CRUISE  OF  THE  SAGINAW 

would  say,  to  go  sideways.  We  occupied  our- 
selves in  stowing  and  securing  our  movables, 
and  after  the  bugle  sounded  "Out  lights"  at 
9  p.m.  the  steady  tramp  of  the  lookouts  and 
their  half -hour  hail  of  "All's  well"  were  all 
that  disturbed  the  quiet  of  the  night. 

The  night  was  dark,  but  a  few  stars  were 
occasionally  visible  between  the  passing 
clouds.  The  sea  continued  smooth  and  the 
ship  on  an  even  keel.  When  I  turned  in  at  ten 
o'clock  I  had  the  comforting  thought  that  by 
the  same  time  to-morrow  night  we  should  be 
heading  for  San  Francisco.  We  were  making 
about  three  knots  an  hour,  which  would  bring 
Ocean  Island  in  sight  about  early  dawn,  so 
that  there  would  be  plenty  of  time  to  circum- 
navigate the  reef  and  get  a.  good  offing  on  our 
course  before  dark. 

How  sadly,  alas!  our  intentions  were  frus- 
trated and  how  fully  our  surgeon's  premoni- 
tions were  fulfilled!    My  pen  falters  at  the 

(  18  ) 


THE  WRECK 

attempt  to  describe  the  events  of  the  next  few 
hours.  I  was  suddenly  awakened  about  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning  by  an  unusual  com- 
motion on  deck;  the  hurried  tramping  of  feet 
and  confusion  of  sounds.  In  the  midst  of  it  I 
distinguished  the  captain's  voice  sounding  in 
sharp  contrast  to  his  usual  moderate  tone, 
ordering  the  taking  in  of  the  topsails  and  im- 
mediately after  the  cutting  away  of  the  top- 
sail halliards.  Until  the  latter  order  was  given 
I  imagined  the  approach  of  a  rain  squall,  a  fre- 
quent occurrence  formerly,  but  I  knew  now 
that  some  greater  emergency  existed,  and  so  I 
hastily  and  partly  dressed  myself  sufficiently 
to  go  on  deck. 

Just  before  I  reached  the  top  of  the  ward- 
room ladder  I  felt  the  ship  strike  something 
and  supposed  we  were  in  collision  with  an- 
other vessel.  The  shock  was  an  easy  one  at 
first,  but  was  followed  immediately  by  others 
of  increasing  force,  and,  as  my  feet  touched 

(  19  ) 


THE  LAST  CRUISE  OF  THE  SAGINAW 

the  deck,  by  two  severe  shocks  that  caused 
the  ship  to  tremble  in  every  timber.  The  long 
easy  swell  that  had  been  lifting  us  gently 
along  in  the  open  sea  was  now  transformed 
into  heavy  breakers  as  it  reached  and  swept 
over  the  coral  reef,  each  wave  lifting  and 
dropping  with  a  frightful  thud  the  quaking 
ship.  It  seemed  at  each  fall  as  though  her 
masts  and  smokestack  would  jump  from  their 
holdings  and  go  by  the  board.  To  a  lands- 
man or  even  a  professional  seaman  who  has 
never  experienced  the  sensation  it  would  be 
impossible  to  convey  a  realizing  sense  of  the 
feelings  aroused  by  our  sudden  misfortune. 
There  is  a  something  even  in  the  air  akin  to 
the  terror  of  an  earthquake  shock  —  a  condi- 
tion unnatural  and  uncanny.  The  good  ship 
that  for  years  has  safely  sailed  the  seas  or 
anchored  in  ports  with  a  free  keel,  fulfilling  in 
all  respects  the  destiny  marked  out  for  her 
at  her  birth,  suddenly  and  without  warning 

(  20  ) 


THE  WRECK 

enters  upon  her  death-struggle  with  the  rocks 
and  appeals  for  help.  There  is  no  wonder  that 
brave  men  —  men  having  withstood  the  shock 
of  battle  and  endured  the  hardships  of  the 
fiercest  storms  —  should  feel  their  nerves 
shaken  from  their  first  glance  at  the  situation. 

The  captain  had  immediately  followed  his 
orders,  to  take  in  the  sails  that  were  forging 
us  on  towards  the  reef,  by  an  order  to  back 
engines.  Alas!  the  steam  was  too  low  to  give 
more  than  a  few  turns  to  the  wheels,  and  they 
could  not  overcome  the  momentum  of  the 
ship.  In  less  than  an  hour  of  the  fierce  pound- 
ing the  jagged  rock  broke  through  the  hull  and 
tore  up  the  engine  and  fire  room  floor;  the 
water  rushed  in  and  reached  the  fires ;  the  doom 
of  our  good  ship  was  now  apparent  and  sealed. 

I  hastily  returned  to  my  stateroom,  secured 
more  clothing,  together  with  some  of  the 
ship's  papers,  then  ascended  to  the  hurricane 
deck  to  await  developments  or  to  stand  by 

(  21  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

to  do  rescue  work  as  ordered.  I  had  partici- 
pated in  the  past  in  drills  that  are  called  in 
Navy  Regulations  "abandoned  ship."  In 
these  drills  every  one  on  board  is  supposed  to 
leave  the  vessel  and  take  station  as  assigned 
in  one  of  the  ship's  boats.  I  had  only  taken 
part  in  these  drills  during  calm  weather  at 
sea,  and  thought  it  a  pretty  sight  to  see  all 
the  boats  completely  equipped  and  lying  off 
in  view  of  the  deserted  vessel.  Here,  how- 
ever, no  programme  could  help  us.  Our  cap- 
tain's judgment  and  quickness  of  decision 
must  control  events  as  they  develop. 

The  night  was  clear  and  starlit,  but  we 
could  see  nothing  of  any  land.  Perhaps  we 
had  struck  on  some  uncharted  reef,  and  while 
strenuously  employed  in  getting  the  boats 
over  the  side  opposite  the  sea  we  waited 
anxiously  for  daylight.  The  scene  was  one  for 
a  lifelong  remembrance  and  is  beyond  my 
power  adequately  and  calmly  to  describe. 

(  22  ) 


THE  WRECK 

There  was  at  first  some  confusion,  but  the 
stern  and  composed  attitude  of  the  captain 
and  his  sharp,  clear  orders  soon  brought  every 
one  to  his  senses,  and  order  was  restored. 

One  of  the  most  reassuring  things  to  me  at 
this  time  was  the  sight  of  our  colored  ward- 
room steward  in  double  irons  for  some  offense, 
sitting  on  a  hatch  of  the  hurricane  deck, 
whistling  "Way  down  upon  the  Suwanee 
River."  He  seemed  to  me  far  from  realizing 
the  gravity  of  the  situation,  or  else  to  possess 
great  courage.  At  any  rate,  it  diverted  my 
thoughts  of  danger  into  other  channels.  He 
said  the  key  to  the  irons  could  not  be  found. 
The  irons  were  soon  severed,  however,  with  a 
chisel  and  hammer,  and  he  went  below  to  aid 
the  men  with  his  knowledge  of  the  stowage  of 
the  officers'  provender.  His  confinement  was 
never  renewed,  for  he  did  good  work  in  the 
rescue  of  food. 

A  few  of  the  more  frightened  ones  had  at 

(  23  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

first,  either  through  a  misunderstanding  or 
otherwise,  rushed  to  our  largest  boat  —  the 
launch  —  hanging  at  the  starboard  quarter 
and  partly  lowered  it  before  the  act  was 
noticed.  A  large  combing  sea  came  along  and 
tore  it  from  their  hold,  smashing  it  against 
the  side  of  the  ship  and  then  carrying  its 
remnants  away  with  its  tackles  and  all  its 
fittings.  This  was  a  great  loss,  we  felt,  if  we 
should  have  to  take  to  the  boats,  for  we  did 
not  know  at  that  time  where  we  were.  The 
same  wave  also  carried  off  one  of  the  crew, 
a  member  of  the  Marine  Guard,  who  had 
been  on  the  bulwarks;  and  whisking  him  sea- 
ward, returned  him  miraculously  around  the 
stern  of  the  ship  to  the  reef,  where  his  strug- 
gles and  cries  attracted  the  notice  of  others. 
He  was  hauled  over  the  lee  side,  somewhat 
bruised  and  water-soaked,  but,  judging  from 
his  remarks,  apparently  not  realizing  his 
wonderful  escape  from  death. 

(  24  ) 


03 

a 

a 

H 
O 


o 

X 
H 


02 
H 
H 


THE  WRECK 

As  the  night  wore  on,  the  wind  increased 
and  also  the  size  of  the  breakers.  The  ship, 
which  had  first  struck  the  reef  "bows  on," 
was  gradually  swung  around  until  she  was  at 
first  broadside  to  the  reef,  and  then  further 
until  the  after  part,  to  which  we  were  cling- 
ing, was  lifted  over  the  jagged  edge  of  the 
perpendicular  wall  of  rock.  She  was  finally 
twisted  around  until  the  bow  hung  directly 
to  seaward,  with  the  middle  of  the  hull  at  the 
edge.  Thus  the  ship  "seesawed"  from  stem 
to  stern  with  each  coming  wave  for  an  hour 
or  more  and  until  the  forward  part  broke 
away  with  a  loud  crash  and  disappeared  in 
the  deep  water  outside.  Our  anchors,  that 
had  been  "let  go,"  apparently  never  touched 
bottom  until  the  bow  went  with  them. 

All  that  was  left  of  our  good  ship  now 
heeled  over  towards  the  inner  side  of  the  reef, 
the  smokestack  soon  went  by  the  board  and 
the  mainmast  was  made  to  follow  it  by  sim- 

(  25  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

ply  cutting  away  the  starboard  or  seaward 
shrouds.  Over  this  mast  we  could  pass  to  the 
reef,  however,  and  there  was  comparative 
quiet  in  the  waters  under  our  lee.  This  helped 
us  in  passing  across  whatever  we  could  save 
from  the  wreck,  and  in  this  manner  went  three 
of  our  boats,  the  captain's  gig,  one  of  the  cut- 
ters, and  the  dinghy,  without  much  damage 
to  them.  We  also  secured  in  this  way  an  iron 
lifeboat  belonging  to  the  contractor. 

As  the  first  gray  streaks  of  dawn  showed  us 
a  small  strip  of  terra  firma  in  the  smooth 
water  of  the  lagoon  and  not  far  from  the  reef, 
many  a  sigh  of  relief  was  heard,  and  our 
efforts  were  redoubled  to  provide  some  means 
of  prolonging  existence  there.  At  any  rate, 
we  knew  now  where  we  were  and  could  at 
least  imagine  a  possible  relief  and  plan  meas- 
ures to  secure  it. 

Although  the  sea  had  robbed  us  of  the 
larger  part  of  our  provisions,  in  the  forward 

(  26  ) 


THE  WRECK 

hold  there  were  still  some  of  the  most  import- 
ant stowed  within  the  fragment  we  were 
clinging  to,  which  contained  the  bread  and 
clothing  storerooms.  With  daylight  our  task 
was  made  easier. 

A  line  was  formed  across  the  reef  and  every- 
thing rescued  was  passed  over  the  side  and 
from  hand  to  hand  to  the  boats  in  the  lagoon, 
for  transfer  to  the  island.  Thus  we  stood 
waist-deep  in  the  water,  feet  and  ankles 
lacerated  and  bleeding,  stumbling  about  the 
sharp  and  uneven  coral  rock,  until  five  in  the 
afternoon,  and  yet  our  spirits,  which  had  been 
low  in  the  dark,  were  so  encouraged  by  a  sight 
of  a  small  portion  of  dry  land  and  at  least  a 
temporary  escape  from  a  watery  grave  that 
now  and  then  a  jest  or  a  laugh  would  pass 
along  the  line  with  some  article  that  suggested 
a  future  meal. 

At  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  order 
was  given  to  abandon  the  wreck  (which  was 

(  27  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

done  while  hoping  that  it  would  hold  together 
until  to-morrow),  and  as  the  sun  went  down 
on  the  "lone  barren  isle,"  all  hands  were 
"piped"  by  the  boatswain's  whistle  to  supper. 

A  half-teacup  of  water,  half  a  cake  of  hard- 
tack, and  a  small  piece  of  boiled  pork  consti- 
tuted our  evening  meal,  to  which  was  added 
a  piece  of  boiled  mutton  that  had  been  in- 
tended for  the  wardroom  table. 

After  this  frugal  meal  all  hands  were  mus- 
tered upon  the  beach  to  listen  to  a  prayer  of 
thankfulness  for  our  deliverance  and  then  to  a 
few  sensible  and  well-timed  remarks  from  the 
captain  enjoining  discipline,  good  nature, 
and  economy  of  food  under  our  trying  cir- 
cumstances. He  told  us  that  by  the  Navy 
Regulations  he  was  instructed,  as  our  com- 
manding officer,  to  keep  up,  in  such  sad  condi- 
tions as  we  were  thrown  into,  the  organization 
and  discipline  of  the  Service  so  far  as  applica- 
ble; that  he  would  in  the  event  of  our  rescue 

(  28  ) 


THE  WRECK 

(which  we  should  all  hope  for  and  look  for- 
ward to)  be  held  responsible  for  the  proper 
administration  of  law  and  order;  that  officers 
and  crew  should  fare  alike  on  our  scanty  store 
of  food,  and  that  with  care  we  should  proba- 
bly make  out,  with  the  help  of  seal  meat  and 
birds,  a  reduced  ration  for  some  little  time. 
He  would  detail  our  several  duties  to-mor- 
row. Then  we  were  dismissed  to  seek  "tired 
nature's  sweet  restorer"  as  best  we  could. 

With  fourteen  hours  of  severe  labor,  tired, 
wet,  and  hungry,  we  were  yet  glad  enough  to 
sink  to  rest  amid  the  bushes  with  but  the  sky 
for  a  canopy  and  a  hummock  of  sand  for  a 
pillow.  In  my  own  case  sleep  was  hard  to 
win.  For  a  long  time  I  lay  watching  the  stars 
and  speculating  upon  the  prospects  of  release 
from  our  island  prison.  Life  seemed  to  reach 
dimly  uncertain  into  the  future,  with  shadow 
pictures  intervening  of  famished  men  and 
bereaved  families. 

(  29  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

I  could  hear  the  waves  within  a  few  rods  of 
our  resting-places  —  there  was  no  music  in 
them  now  —  lapping  the  beach  in  their  rest- 
lessness, and  now  and  then  an  angry  roar 
from  the  outside  reef,  as  though  the  sea  was  in 
rage  over  its  failure  to  reach  us.  I  realized 
that  for  more  than  a  thousand  miles  the  sea 
stretched  away  in  every  direction  before 
meeting  inhabited  shores  and  for  treble  that 
distance  to  our  native  land;  that  our  island 
was  but  a  small  dot  in  the  vast  Pacific  —  a 
dot  so  small  that  few  maps  give  it  recognition. 
Truly  it  was  a  dismal  outlook  that  "tired 
nature  "  finally  dispelled  and  that  sleep  trans- 
formed into  oblivion;  for  I  went  to  sleep 
finally  while  recalling  old  stories  of  family 
gatherings  where  was  always  placed  a  vacant 
chair  for  the  loved  absent  one  should  he  ever 
return. 


Ill 

ON   THE   ISLAND 

Sunday,  October  30.  No  pretensions  to  the 
official  observance  of  the  Sabbath  were  made 
to-day.  We  always  had  religious  services  on 
board  the  ship  when  the  weather  permitted 
on  Sunday,  but  to-day  every  effort  has  been 
made  to  further  the  safety  of  our  condition. 

The  captain,  executive  officer,  and  many  of 
the  crew  went  off  early  to  the  wreck  in  order 
to  make  further  search  for  supplies  and  equip- 
ment. The  wreck  appears  from  the  island  to 
be  about  as  we  left  it,  for  the  wind  has  been 
light  and  the  sea  calm  during  the  night. 

I  remained  on  shore  with  a  few  men  to 
assist  in  sorting  out  and  making  a  list  of  the 
articles  rescued  yesterday  and  to  assemble 
them  in  the  best  place  suitable  for  their  pre- 

(  31  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

servation.  We  spread  out  in  the  sun  the  bread, 
bags  of  flour,  and  other  dry  foodstuffs,  even 
to  the  smallest  fragments,  and  it  was  early 
apparent  that  unless  much  more  food  is 
secured  we  shall  be  compelled  to  live  upon  a 
greatly  reduced  ration  and  that  our  main 
source  of  food  will  be  the  seal  and  brown  alba- 
tross (or  "goonies,"  as  they  are  commonly 
called).  Both  of  these  seem  plentiful  and  are 
easily  captured. 

The  seal  succumb  quickly  to  a  blow  upon 
the  head,  a  fact  we  discovered  early  in  our 
first  visit  to  the  Midway  Islands.  One  of  the 
boat's  crew,  when  pushing  off  from  the  beach, 
carelessly  and  without  intent  to  kill,  struck  a 
near-by  seal  on  the  head  with  an  oar,  and  the 
next  morning  it  was  found  dead,  apparently 
not  having  moved  from  the  spot.  Its  mate 
had  found  it  and  was  nosing  it  about,  while 
moaning  in  a  most  humanlike  voice. 

These  seal  are  quite  different  from  the 

(  32  ) 


ON  THE  ISLAND 

Alaska  fur  seal,  of  such  great  value  for  their 
fur.  These  have  a  short  lustreless  hair,  and 
their  principal  value  is  in  the  oil  that  is  ex- 
tracted by  the  few  seal  hunters  who  seek  them. 
They  frequently  exceed  two  hundred  pounds 
in  weight,  and  are  savage  fighters  if  one  can 
judge  by  the  many  scars  found  upon  them. 
We  never  thought,  when,  a  few  months  ago, 
we  amused  ourselves  on  the  verandas  of  the 
Cliff  House  at  San  Francisco  in  watching 
their  disporting  about  Seal  Rock,  that  we 
should  make  such  a  close  acquaintance  with 
them. 

The  "goonies"  also  are  easy  to  capture, 
although  they  are  large  and  strong  and  a  blow 
from  the  wing  would  break  a  man's  limb.  I 
measured  one  of  them  from  tip  to  tip  of  wing, 
and  it  was  over  seven  feet.  They  are,  how- 
ever, very  awkward  on  their  feet,  and,  having 
a  double-jointed  wing  (that  is,  a  joint  in  it 
like  an  elbow)  can  only  rise  from  the  ground 

(  33  ) 


THE    LAST    CRUISE    OF   THE    SAGINAW 

when  the  wind  is  in  their  faces.  Owing  to  this 
fact  one  only  needs  to  get  to  the  windward 
of  them  with  a  club  and  look  out  for  the 
wings.  We  should  like  to  add  some  of  their 
eggs  to  our  bill  of  fare,  but  dare  not  for  fear 
of  driving  the  birds  away.  I  imagine  it  would 
take  but  a  few  of  the  eggs,  if  eatable,  to  go 
around,  for  I  saw  one  at  the  Midways  that 
was  as  large  as  those  of  the  ostrich. 

Fresh  water  will,  however,  apparently  be 
our  greatest  cause  for  anxiety;  for  we  have 
secured  but  a  small  supply,  considering  our 
number  —  ninety-three.  A  few  breakers  or 
kegs  only,  that  were  stowed  in  the  boats, 
were  secured.  Rain,  of  course,  we  count  upon; 
but  to  conserve  our  scanty  supply  until  it 
comes  is  most  necessary.  To-day  several 
wells  have  been  dug  in  various  parts  of  the 
island,  but  the  water  found  in  them  is  near 
the  surface  and  is  too  brackish  for  any  use. 
The  old  timbers  of  a  former  wreck,  prob- 

(  34  ) 


ON  THE  ISLAND 

ably  of  the  "Gledstanes,"  —  the  "bones"  as 
sailors  call  them,  —  lie  near  on  the  beach  and 
look  as  though  they  would  yield  us  fuel  for  a 
long  time.  Our  fire,  which  was  started  last 
evening  by  a  match  that  Mr.  Bailey,  the  chief 
diver,  had  fortunately  kept  dry,  has  been 
constantly  going  for  lack  of  more  lighting 
material. 

Evening.  The  reef  party  returned  at  sun- 
down, reporting  a  strenuous  day  on  the  wreck. 
We  all  had  a  supper  of  "scouse"  (a  dish  of 
pork,  potato,  and  hard  tack),  and  before 
sleeping  the  camp  site  was  laid  out,  the  sails 
and  awnings  which  had  come  on  shore  tem- 
porarily set  up,  to  our  greater  comfort.  Be- 
sides the  sails  and  awnings,  more  food  sup- 
plies were  captured  from  the  after  storeroom 
and  a  particularly  fortunate  prize  secured  in  a 
small  portable  boiler  that  had  been  lashed  to 
the  after  deck.  This  had  been  used  by  the 
contractor's  party  in  hoisting  to  the  scow  the 

(35) 


THE    LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

blasted  coral  from  the  reef,  at  Midway 
Islands.  There  were  also  in  one  of  the  wheel- 
houses  of  the  wreck  some  distilling-coils, 
which  the  engineer's  force  with  our  chief 
engineer  successfully  rescued  after  hard 
labor,  for  the  sea  was  washing  through  the 
wheelhouse  with  terrible  force.  The  boiler, 
suspended  between  two  boats,  was  success- 
fully landed  on  the  beach,  and  we  are  greatly 
encouraged  at  the  promise  of  fresh  water 
to-morrow.  We  secured  a  barrel,  also,  partly 
filled  with  sperm  oil,  and  a  lantern  in  good 
condition.  These  two  articles  insure  us  a 
supply  of  lighting  material  for  the  cooking- 
fire,  which  can  now  be  put  out  at  night  and 
much  fuel  saved.  Considerable  clothing  was 
secured  from  the  officers'  staterooms,  and  I 
was  fortunate  enough  to  find  some  of  mine 
rolled  up  in  one  of  the  large  wet  bundles;  and 
a  few  soaked  mattresses  and  blankets  were 
also  brought  in.   The  carpenter's  chest,  too, 

(36) 


THE  CONDENSER -MADE  FROM  A  SMALL  BOILER  AND 
SPEAKING-TUBES 


GATHERING  TIMBERS  FROM  THE  WRECK 


ON  THE  ISLAND 

came  ashore  intact,  and  altogether  we  feel  our 
situation  greatly  improved. 

Mr.  Talbot  tells  me  that  they  are  literally 
"stripping"  the  wreck,  and  nothing  movable 
will  be  left  on  it  if  the  weather  will  but  hold 
good  long  enough.  No  one  stops  to  question 
the  utility  of  an  article  found  adrift;  it  is 
seized  hastily  and  thrown  out  on  the  reef 
to  be  transported  later  to  the  island.  Pieces 
of  rigging,  boxes  of  tinned  coffee,  canned 
goods,  tools,  crockery,  sails,  awnings,  etc.,  all 
come  to  the  beach  in  a  promiscuous  mass  to 
be  sorted  out  later. 

Monday,  October  31.  Still  at  work  on  the 
wreck.  Boiler  set  up  on  the  beach  and  con- 
nected with  the  distilling-coils  by  a  piece  of 
canvas  hose.  The  inner  end  of  the  coils  was 
joined  to  a  length  of  our  pilot-house  speaking- 
tube  as  a  return  to  the  beach.  By  this  arrange- 
ment the  steam  passed  under  the  cooler 
water  of  the  lagoon  and  was  condensed  as  it 

(37) 

186478 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

returned  to  a  bucket  on  the  beach.  Great  joy 
was  expressed  at  the  first  sight  of  the  little 
stream  and  a  great  fear  was  lifted  from  our 
thoughts.  At  supper  we  had  a  cup  of  coffee  to 
finish  the  quarter-ration  of  food,  which  was 
made  into  a  scouse  as  before.  The  hard  tack 
needed  in  making  the  scouse,  however,  will 
soon  be  exhausted,  for,  excepting  a  small 
quantity  saved  in  tins,  it  is  spoiling  rapidly. 
So  to-day  I  opened  a  bag  of  flour  to  ascer- 
tain if  we  were  to  have  any  breadstuff.  I 
found  to  my  glad  surprise  that,  with  the 
exception  of  about  an  inch  on  the  outside,  it 
was  sweet  and  sound.  The  sea  water  had  pro- 
tected it  with  a  crust.  A  barrel  of  beans  was 
also  found  to  be  in  good  condition;  so  that  our 
pile  of  foodstuff  under  the  sentry's  charge 
begins  to  loom  high  for  our  safety  for  some 
time  to  come. 

Tuesday ,  November  1.  The  crew  was  formed 
into   several   messes  to-day,  and   also   into 

(  38  ) 


ON  THE  ISLAND 

watches.  Each  mess  was  provided  with  a 
tent,  that  for  our  mess  (the  wardroom)  being 
made  from  the  Saginaw's  quarter-deck  awn- 
ing. Such  of  our  dry  goods  and  bedding  as 
had  been  rescued  were  removed  to  them,  and 
our  little  camp  begins  to  take  on  the  appear- 
ance of  comfort. 

The  duties  of  every  member  of  the  ship's 
company  have  been  so  arranged  that  it  is 
hoped  and  expected  that  no  one  will  have 
much  time  to  brood  over  our  situation  or  the 
future. 

Wednesday,  November  2.  The  bad  weather 
we  have  feared  has  arrived.  It  came  on  sud- 
denly this  morning  from  the  southeast  with 
a  high  wind  and  a  heavy  rainfall,  and  before 
we  had  been  able  firmly  to  secure  the  tents. 
After  strenuous  exertion,  however,  we  saved 
them  from  being  blown  over,  but  were  wet  to 
the  skin  when  they  were  finally  safe  in  place. 

Fortunately  the  wreck  on  the  reef  has  been 

(39) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

thoroughly  explored  and  there  is  very  little 
material  there  now  that  could  be  of  use  to  us, 
unless  it  may  be  the  timbers  themselves,  to 
help  us  in  building  a  seaworthy  boat  should  it 
be  necessary  to  do  so  in  a  final  effort  to  get 
away.  The  idea  of  sending  a  boat  to  the 
Sandwich  Islands  for  relief  has  been  already 
revolving  in  our  minds,  and  to-day  was  re- 
vealed by  an  order  from  the  captain  to  the 
senior  officers.  After  a  consultation  singly 
with  us,  he  has  directed  each  one  to  file  with 
him  an  opinion  on  the  feasibility  and  neces- 
sity of  doing  so  —  each  written  opinion  to  be 
without  knowledge  of  the  others. 

It  is  probable  that  the  hulk  will  be  consider- 
ably broken  up  before  the  wind  and  sea  go 
down,  for  one  can  see  it  rise  and  fall  with  the 
breakers,  and  occasionally  a  piece  is  detached 
and  floated  across  the  reef  into  the  lagoon. 
As  soon  as  it  is  safe  to  launch  the  boats,  the 
work  of  securing  these  pieces  will  be  started. 

(  40  ) 


ON  THE  ISLAND 

The  boats  are  now  resting  at  the  highest 
part  of  the  island  in  the  centre  of  the  camp, 
for  even  with  the  protecting  reef  the  sea  in 
the  lagoon  has  been  so  rough  that  combers 
have  reached  within  a  few  feet  of  our  tents. 
As  I  write  my  journal  we  are  a  wet  and  sad 
party  of  unfortunates. 

Our  captain  and  his  boat's  crew  must  be 
having  an  experience  worse  than  ours,  how- 
ever. They  left  this  morning  in  the  cutter  for 
the  sand  spit  near  and  to  the  west  of  us,  to 
collect  driftwood,  and  are  "marooned"  there 
in  the  storm.  They  can  be  seen,  with  the 
glasses,  huddled  together  beneath  the  up- 
turned boat.  They  do  not,  however,  seem  to 
be  in  imminent  danger,  and  have  made  no  sig- 
nals of  distress;  so  we  expect  them  to  return 
as  soon  as  the  sea  abates. 

Thursday,  November  3.  It  has  been  still 
too  rough  to-day  to  launch  the  boats  for 
work   in   the   lagoon.     We   have,   however, 

(41  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

busied  ourselves  in  erecting  a  storehouse  for 
the  better  preservation  of  our  food  supplies, 
and  to-night  have  them  safely  under  cover. 
Last  night  the  rats  robbed  us  of  a  box  of 
macaroni,  and,  therefore,  we  have  put  our 
storehouse  on  posts  and  two  feet  above 
the  ground  with  inverted  pans  upon  the 
posts. 

We  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  rats  last 
night  in  our  tent  when  a  noisy  fight  over  a 
piece  of  candle  disturbed  our  sleep.  We  had 
seen  a  few  of  them  before,  but  did  not  sup- 
pose them  to  be  so  very  numerous  —  as  on 
first  thought  there  seemed  to  be  so  very  little 
for  them  to  eat.  We  now  found  them  to  have 
good  lungs  and  appetites,  however,  and  a  good 
deal  of  thrashing  around  with  boots,  etc.,  was 
necessary  to  expel  them.  We  discussed  them 
before  we  went  to  sleep  again  in  the  light  of  a 
future  food  supply,  —  an  addition  to  our  one- 
quarter  ration,  —  and  the  opinion  was  general 

(42  ) 


*•  X, 


THE  CAPTAIN'S  TENT 


THE  STOREHOUSE,  ELEVATED   TO  AVOID  RATS 


ON  THE  ISLAND 

that  should  the  seal  and  gooney  desert  us  the 
rats  would  become  more  valuable.  At  any 
rate,  they  would  thrive  on  the  refuse  of  the 
food  we  had  now. 

The  captain  returned  this  morning  from  his 
expedition  and  gives  a  sad  story  of  their  luck. 
They  had  to  literally  bury  themselves  to  the 
neck  in  the  sand  and  lie  under  the  boat  to 
prevent  being  drenched  by  the  rain.  During 
the  height  of  the  storm  they  had  one  streak  of 
good  luck.  They  found  some  companions 
that  the  rough  sea  had  induced  to  seek  the 
shelter  of  the  lagoon  and  beach.  They  were 
large  sea  turtles,  and  he  and  his  crew  turned 
them  on  their  backs  to  prevent  their  escape. 
To-day  we  have  them  added  to  our  food- 
supply  and  they  are  very  welcome,  notwith- 
standing the  sad  plight  of  their  captors  when 
they  returned. 

We  have  also  added  to  our  fresh  water  a 
supply  of  about  fifty  gallons  caught  in  the 

(43) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

rainstorm  of  yesterday,  and  doled  out  an 
extra  cupful  to  each  person. 

Friday,  November  4.  The  sea  is  rolling  in 
huge  breakers  on  the  reef  to-day,  enveloping 
the  wreck  in  spray,  and  we  are  constantly 
expecting  to  see  the  last  of  the  Saginaw  as  a 
hulk.  Several  pieces  can  be  seen  adrift  in  the 
lagoon,  and  the  hurricane  deck  is  probably 
among  them.  The  boats  were  launched  and 
the  mainmast  towed  to  the  landing,  where  it 
was  anchored.  It  is  the  intention  to  have  it 
set  up  near  our  camp  and  to  use  it  for  a  look- 
out station  as  well  as  a  means  of  flying  a  dis- 
tress signal  in  case  a  passing  vessel  should  be 
sighted.  However,  we  do  not  pin  much  faith 
to  the  idea  of  rescue  from  passing  ships,  for 
the  presence  of  these  coral  reefs  constitutes 
such  a  menace  to  navigation  that  they  are 
avoided.  Vessels  generally  pass  far  to  the 
north  or  south  of  them. 

Saturday,  November  5.  The  gig  was  carried 

(  44  ) 


ON  THE  ISLAND 

well  up  on  the  beach  to-day  and  set  in  a 
cradle,  to  be  prepared  for  a  voyage  to  the 
Sandwich  Islands.  It  is  the  intention  to  raise 
her  sides  a  few  inches,  to  construct  a  light 
deck  over  all,  and  to  fit  her  with  two  masts 
and  sails.  (Part  of  the  sails  were  saved 
with  the  boat.)  In  the  deck  there  are  to  be 
four  square  small  hatches  (with  covers  in  case 
of  bad  weather),  in  which  the  men  can  sit 
and  row  when  the  wind  is  too  light  or  contrary 
for  sailing.  From  this  it  may  be  seen  that  the 
perilous  trip  has  been  decided  upon  by  the 
captain.  I  have  no  doubt  he  feels  the  respon- 
sibility which  he  assumes,  and  I  have  great 
faith  in  his  judgment.  Our  opinions  were 
handed  in  to  him  yesterday,  but  of  course  we 
do  not  know  what  their  influence  has  been, 
but  it  must  be  evident  to  him  that  all  hands 
—  officers  and  men  alike  —  are  loyally  co- 
operating with  him  in  our  trying  situation. 
\We  learn  that  Lieutenant  Talbot  volun- 

(  45  ) 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE   SAGINAW 

teered  the  day  after  the  wreck  to  make  the 
attempt  and  that  several  of  the  crew  have  also 
asked  to  go  with  him.  In  fact,  so  many  of  the 
men  have  volunteered  that  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  take  the  pick  of  those  most  likely  to 
stand  the  exposure,  for  although  we  have 
seen  that  such  a  trip  was  made  in  the  case 
of  the  "Gledstanes,"  it  must  be  remembered 
that  they  took  five  months  to  build  a  sea- 
worthy vessel,  while  our  brave  boys  will  go 
in  a  practically  open  boat. 

Sunday,  November  6.  We  were  mustered 
for  divine  service  to-day,  and  it  being  the 
first  Sundav  of  the  month  the  roll  was  called 

■J 

and  each  man  answered  "Here"  as  his  name 
was  called.  After  that  prayers  were  read  by 
the  captain  and  an  extra  cup  of  water  served 
out  from  the  quantity  caught  during  the  re- 
cent gale.  Work  was  suspended  so  far  as 
possible,  but  the  lagoon  being  so  quiet  it  was 
thought  necessary  to  launch  two  of  the  boats 

(46) 


LIEUTENANT  JOHN  G.  TALBOT 


ON  THE  ISLAND 

and  tow  in  some  of  the  floating  timbers.  We 
were  overjoyed  thus  to  receive  and  haul  up 
free  of  the  water  a  large  fragment  of  the  old 
hurricane  deck.  We  can  imagine  some  value 
in  almost  any  piece  of  timber,  but  in  this  par- 
ticular we  are  confident  of  securing  much  ma- 
terial for  the  building  of  our  future  boat,  it 
being  of  three  inch  thick  narrow  planking. 
We  believe  we  can  make  one  and  a  half  inch 
stuff  from  it  by  rigging  up  a  staging  and  con- 
verting our  one  bucksaw  into  a  jigsaw  with 
a  man  above  and  one  below.  The  blacksmith 
believes  that  he  can  extract  a  good  supply  of 
nails,  and  in  many  ways  it  is  evident  that  we 
are  not  going  to  wait  supinely  for  the  relief 
we  hope  for  from  our  brave  comrades*  voy- 
age. 

To-day  we  killed  our  first  goonies  and  had 
some  for  supper.  They  were  very  tough  and 
"fishy,"  and  Solomon  Graves,  once  the 
Saginaw's  cabin  cook,  but  now  "King  of  the 

(47) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

Galley"  on  Ocean  Island,  says  that  he  cooked 
them  all  day.  Only  a  portion  of  the  bird  could 
be  masticated.  However,  it  was  voted 
superior  to  seal,  the  latter  being  so  tough 
that  Graves  has  to  parboil  it  overnight  and 
fry  it  in  the  morning.  The  hard  tack  is  ex- 
hausted, but  so  much  of  the  flour  has  been 
found  good  that  we  are  to  have  a  table- 
spoonful  every  other  day  and  the  same  quan- 
tity of  beans  on  the  alternate  days  as  substi- 
tutes for  the  hard  tack.  A  cup  of  coffee  or  tea 
every  day  for  the  morning  meal.  Supper  we 
have  at  five. 

We  had  a  luxury  after  supper.  There  are 
nine  of  us  in  the  wardroom  mess  who  smoke, 
and  each  of  us  was  generously  supplied  with 
a  cigar  by  Passed  Assistant  Engineer  Blye, 
whose  chest  was  rescued  the  second  day; 
it  contained  a  box  of  five  hundred  Manila 
cigars. 

s  Monday,   November   7.   The   mainmast  is 

(  48  ) 


ON  THE  ISLAND 

ready  to  raise  to-morrow.  An  excavation  has 
been  made  at  the  highest  point  of  the  island, 
near  the  captain's  tent,  and  the  mast  rolled 
up  to  it  with  the  rope  guys  ready  to  hold  it 
upright.  The  carpenter's  gang  have  been 
busy  all  day  in  sorting  out  material  for  the 
gig's  deck  and  for  raising  her  sides  eight 
inches. 

While  the  weather  is  fine,  there  seems  to  be 
a  considerable  swell  at  sea  from  the  late  storm, 
and  the  wreck  is  gradually,  as  it  were,  melting 
away.  To-day  a  piece  of  the  hull  floated 
towards  us  and  a  boat  was  sent  after  it. 
When  it  reached  the  beach  I  recognized  the 
remains  of  my  stateroom,  with  twisted  bolts 
protruding  from  the  edge  where  it  had  been 
wrenched  away  from  the  rest  of  the  hull.  I 
viewed  mournfully  the  remnant  of  my  long- 
time home  and  reflected  how  it  had  once  been 
my  protection  and  that  now  fate  had  turned 
me  out  of  its  shelter.  Many  of  the  hopes  that 

(  49  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

were  bred  within  its  wooden  walls  have  been 
shattered  by  its  destruction,  and  I  thought 
it  would  be  appropriate  to  bury  it  on  the  beach 
with  an  epitaph  above  it  showing  the  simple 
words  "Lights  out"  which  I  had  so  often 
heard  at  its  door  when  the  ship's  corporal 
made  his  nightly  rounds  at  the  "turning-in" 
hour.  However,  it  was  valuable  even  in  its 
ruin  for  building  and  burning  material.  Be- 
sides, we  are  not  ready  yet  to  think  of  any- 
thing like  a  funeral. 

Tuesday,  November  8.  I  am  writing  my 
journal  this  evening  with  feelings  of  cheer 
and  strengthened  hopes,  for  although  the 
fore  part  of  the  day  was  full  of  gloomy  fore- 
bodings it  has  ended  eventfully  and  happily. 
Our  task  to-day,  as  I  have  said,  was  to  set  up 
the  mainmast,  and  the  work  was  begun  im- 
mediately after  our  breakfast.  All  hands 
were  strenuously  employed  until  noon.  First, 
the  mast  was  rolled  into  position  so  that  the 

(50) 


ON  THE  ISLAND 

foot  would  be  exactly  over  the  centre  of  the 
hole  dug  yesterday.  Then  a  small  derrick 
was  made  to  support  the  mast  nearly  in  bal- 
ance. With  tackles  and  ropes  then  adjusted, 
as  all  good  sailors  know  how  to  do,  the  heel 
was  lowered  slowly  and  the  top  elevated  by 
the  guys,  until  the  mast  stood  on  its  foot  and 
was  secured  upright.  It  was  dinner-time  when 
we  considered  it  safe  to  leave,  and  we  were 
glad  when  it  was  finally  in  place,  for  the 
work  took  about  all  the  strength  we  had. 

What  was  our  dismay  while  we  were  at 
dinner  to  hear  the  snap  of  rope  and  the  crash 
of  the  falling  mast.  Everybody  rushed  to  the 
spot,  and  it  was  discovered  that  one  of  the 
guys  had  parted  and  that  the  sand  had  not 
been  firm  enough  to  hold  the  mast  erect. 
Luckily  the  mast  was  not  injured,  and  the 
captain  said  calmly,  as  though  it  was  an  every- 
day occurrence,  "Well,  men,  we  must  do  it 
again." 

(  51  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

While  we  were  standing  about  the  hole  and 
the  captain  was  directing  preparations  for 
another  effort,  one  of  the  men,  noticing  the 
water  at  the  bottom,  scooped  some  of  it  up 
in  a  shovel  and  raised  it  to  his  lips.  I  shall 
never  forget  his  expression  as  he  swallowed  it. 
His  eyes  snapped,  his  face  went  white,  and 
broadened  almost  into  a  grin,  and  he  seemed 
for  an  instant  to  hold  his  breath.  Then  his 
color  came  back,  and  with  a  wild  shout  of 
gladness  he  exclaimed  so  that  all  could  hear, 
"Boys  —  fresh  water,  by  G — ."  And  so  it 
proved,  —  soft  and  pure,  —  although  within 
twenty  feet  of  the  salt  water  at  the  beach. 
Examination  showed  that  there  was  quite  a 
"pocket"  of  this  filtered  rainwater,  and  that 
the  point  where  we  had  excavated  was  evi- 
dently where  the  island  had  originally  com- 
menced to  form  on  solid  ground.  We  noticed, 
too,  during  the  afternoon  that  the  water  in  it 
rises  and  falls  with  the  tide  of  the  ocean  in  the 

(52) 


ON  THE  ISLAND 

lagoon  without  mixing.  This  was  explained 
by  one  of  the  officers,  who  had  before  seen 
such  conditions,  as  due  to  the  difference  in 
density  of  the  two  waters,  and  the  fact  that 
the  small  rise  and  fall  of  the  tide,  which  is  only 
about  twelve  inches  here,  does  not  create  an 
inrush  and  outgo  sufficiently  strong  to  force 
a  mixture.  However,  we  are  greatly  rejoiced 
over  the  "blessing  in  disguise"  our  falling 
mast  has  proved  to  be,  and  although  the  sup- 
ply is  probably  moderate  and  dependent  on 
the  rains,  we  shall  be  able  to  dispense  with  the 
boiler,  which  has  begun  to  give  trouble  from 
rust  and  leakage. 

Wednesday.  Blye  and  I  went  inland  among 
the  bushes  and  killed  twelve  boobies  for  sup- 
per to-morrow.  Breakfast,  pork  scouse  and 
cup  of  water.  Provisions  got  wet  from  leak  in 
storehouse  last  night;  took  tea,  coffee,  and 
wet  bread  out  to  dry.  Several  showers  during 
the  day.   Mr.  Talbot  went  over  to  the  sand 

(53) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE    SAGINAW 

spit  and  brought  back  driftwood  and  four 
large  turtles.  Supper,  salt  beef  and  two 
dough-balls  from  mouldy  flour. 

Thursday,  10th.  Breakfast,  salt  beef  and 
flour-balls.  Getting  up  ship's  mainmast  for 
flagstaff  and  lookout.  One  boat  off  to  the 
wreck.  Several  rain  squalls  during  day,  and 
unable  to  dry  out  stores.  Supper  on  boobies 
and  flour-balls. 

Friday,  11th.  Breakfast,  turtle  steak  and 
a  tablespoonful  of  mashed  potatoes.  The  mast 
was  again  raised  to-day  and  care  taken  to 
prevent  a  repetition  of  Tuesday's  accident. 
Stronger  guys  were  led  to  heavy,  deep-driven 
stakes.  A  topmast  was  added  and  a  rope  lad- 
der to  the  crosstrees.  Work  on  the  gig  pro- 
gressing fast  —  nearly  decked  over.  Supper, 
turtle,  eight  goonies,  potatoes,  and  cup  of 
tea. 

Saturday,  12th.  Breakfast  on  fish,  turtle 
soup,   and  mashed  potatoes.    Supper,   seal 

(  54  ) 


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ON  THE  ISLAND 

meat  and  tablespoonful  of  mashed  beans. 
The  fish  from  the  reef  are  voted  no  good. 
They  are  brilliantly  colored  but  strong  in 
taste,  and  are  said  by  the  captain  to  be  sim- 
ilar to  the  "parrot  fish  "  that  is  found  among 
our  West  India  coral  reefs.  Solomon  Graves 
says  that  the  parrot  fish  is  poisonous,  so  it  is 
decided  to  leave  them  out  of  our  bill  of  fare. 
Should  it  become  necessary  to  augment  our 
ration  it  will,  no  doubt,  be  done  by  adding 
the  rats,  and  for  myself  I  believe  they  will 
improve  it. 

Sunday,  November  13.  Ship  breaking  up 
rapidly  and  boats  out  to  pick  up  driftwood, 
Had  prayers  (read  by  Captain  S.)  at  3  p.m., 
and  he  addressed  us  with  remarks  as  to  neces- 
sity in  our  situation  of  working  on  Sabbath. 
Thousands  of  rats  about.  Put  extra  night 
watch  on  storehouse,  for  fear  of  further  depre- 
dations. 

Monday,    14th.  Same   diet   as   yesterday. 

(55) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

Aired  all  clothing.  Work  on  gig  pushing,  and 
we  expect  to  get  her  off  this  week.  Every 
one  writing  letters  to  send  in  her. 

Tuesday,  15th.  Diet,  goonies  and  turtle, 
with  last  of  potatoes.  The  gig  was  launched 
and  provisions  sent  down  from  storehouse. 
Had  a  long  talk  with  Talbot.  He  realizes 
danger  of  trip,  but  is  brave  and  confident; 
gave  him  my  revolver. 

Wednesday,  16th.  Cup  of  tea,  7  a.m.  and 
breakfast  as  usual  at  10;  turtle  and  gooney; 
Heavy  sea  on  reef,  and  ship  fast  disappear- 
ing, boats  out  picking  up  driftwood.  Had 
to  take  the  condenser  and  all  wood  high 
up  on  the  beach.  Wind  shifted  suddenly 
from  north  to  southeast.  Gave  Talbot  two 
hundred  dollars  in  gold  coin  for  possible 
expenses. 

Thursday,  November  17.  Blowing  hard  from 
north.  Tea  at  7  a.m.  The  gig  anchored  off 
shore.    Mr.  Bailey  and  I  fixed  up  the  well 

(56). 


ON  THE  ISLAND 

where  fresh  water  was  found  when  mast  fell; 
good-by  to  the  old  condenser.  "The  little 
cherub  that  sits  up  aloft"  doing  good  work 
for  us  all. 


IV 

THE   SAILING   OP   THE   GIG 

Friday,  November  18.  The  weather  has 
been  fine  since  the  breaking  up  of  the  storm 
of  the  second. 

As  to  work,  every  one  has  had  his  duties 
portioned  out  to  him,  and  there  is  no  doubt 
of  the  captain's  wisdom  in  providing  thus  an 
antidote  to  homesickness  or  brooding.  Faces 
are  —  some  of  them  —  getting  "peaked," 
and  quite  a  number  of  the  party  have  been 
ill  from  lack  of  power  to  digest  the  seal  meat; 
but  there  are  no  complaints,  we  all  fare  alike. 
Medicines  are  not  to  hand,  but  a  day  or  two 
of  abstinence  and  quiet  generally  brings  one 
around  again.  In  the  evenings,  when  we 
gather  around  the  smoking  lamp  after  supper, 
there  are  frequent  discussions  over  our  situa- 

(58) 


THE  SAILING  OF  THE  GIG 

tion  and  prospects.  They  are,  however, 
mostly  sanguine  in  tone,  and  it  is  not  uncom- 
mon to  hear  the  expression  "when  we  get 
home."  No  one  seems  to  have  given  up  his 
hope  of  eventual  relief.  It  has  been  very 
noticeable,  too,  at  such  times  that  no  matter 
where  the  conversation  begins  it  invariably 
swings  around,  before  the  word  is  passed  to 
"douse  the  glim,"  to  those  things  of  which 
we  are  so  completely  deprived  —  to  narra- 
tives of  pleasant  gatherings  —  stories  of  ban- 
quets and  festival  occasions  where  toothsome 
delicacies  were  provided.  It  would  seem  as 
though  these  reminiscences  were  given  us  as 
a  foil  to  melancholy,  and  they  travel  along 
with  us  into  our  dreams. 

Upon  one  point  we  are  all  agreed,  that  we 
are  very  fortunate  in  being  wrecked  in  so 
agreeable  a  climate,  where  heavy  clothing  is 
unnecessary.  The  temperature  has  been, 
aside  from  the  storm  we  had  soon  after  the 

(59  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

landing,  between  seventy  and  seventy-five 
degrees  during  the  day  and  around  fifty  de- 
grees at  night.  We  are  very  sensible  of  the 
discomforts  that  would  be  ours  if  tumbled 
upon  some  of  the  islands  of  the  northern 
ocean  in  winter. 

The  moonlit  nights  have  been  grand,  and 
calculated  to  foster  romance  in  a  sailor's 
thoughts  were  the  surroundings  appropriate. 
As  it  is,  the  little  cheer  we  extract  from  them 
is  in  the  fact  that  we  see  the  same  shining  face 
that  is  illuminating  the  home  of  our  loved 
ones. 

Often  in  my  corner  of  the  tent,  Mr.  Foss 
and  I  pass  what  would  be  a  weary  hour  other- 
wise, over  a  game  of  chess,  the  pieces  for 
which  he  has  fashioned  from  gooney  bones 
and  blocks  of  wood. 

Mr.  Main  has  made  a  wonderful  nautical 
instrument  —  a  sextant  —  from  the  face  of 
the  Saginaw's  steam  gauge,  together  with 

(  60) 


THE  SAILING  OF  THE  GIG 

some  broken  bits  of  a  stateroom  mirror  and 
scraps  of  zinc.  Its  minute  and  finely  drawn 
scale  was  made  upon  the  zinc  with  a  cambric 
needle,  and  the  completed  instrument  is  the 
result  of  great  skill  and  patience.  Mr.  Talbot 
has  tested  it  and  pronounces  it  sufficiently 
accurate  for  navigating  purposes. 

Another  officer  has  made  a  duplicate  of  the 
official  chart  of  this  part  of  the  Pacific,  and 
still  another  has  copied  all  the  Nautical 
Almanac  tables  necessary  for  navigation. 

I  have  been  directed  by  the  captain  to 
make  a  selection  from  the  best-preserved 
supplies  in  the  storehouse  most  suitable  for 
boat  service,  and  calculate  that  Talbot  will 
have  the  equivalent  of  thirty-five  days'  pro- 
vender at  one-half  rations,  although  many  of 
the  articles  are  not  in  the  regular  ration  tables. 

This  morning  the  boat  was  surrounded  by 
many  men  and  carried  bodily  into  water  that 
was  deep  enough  to  float  her.  There  she  was 

(61  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

anchored  and  the  stores  carried  out  to  her. 
Mr.  Butter  worth,  standing  waist  deep  in  the 
water,  put  on  the  last  finishing  touches  while 
she  was  afloat  by  screwing  to  the  gunwales 
the  rowlocks  for  use  in  calm  weather. 

There  was  expended  from  store-book  the 
following  articles:  ten  breakers  (a  small  keg) 
of  water,  five  days'  rations  of  hard  tack 
sealed  in  tin,  ten  days  of  the  same  in  can- 
vas bags,  two  dozen  small  tins  of  preserved 
meat,  five  tins  (five  pounds  each)  of  dessi- 
cated  potato,  two  tins  of  cooked  beans,  three 
tins  of  boiled  wheaten  grits,  one  ham,  six 
tins  of  preserved  oysters,  ten  pounds  of  dried 
beef,  twelve  tins  of  lima  beans,  about  five 
pounds  of  butter,  one  gallon  of  molasses, 
twelve  pounds  of  white  sugar,  four  pounds  of 
tea  and  five  pounds  of  coffee.  A  small  tin 
cooking  apparatus  for  burning  oil  was  also 
improvised  and  furnished. 

I  had  intended  putting  on  board  twenty- 

(  62  ) 


JAMES  BUTTERWORTH 

Passed  Assistant  Engineer 


THE  SAILING  OF  THE  GIG 

five  pounds  of  boiled  rice  in  sealed  tins,  but 
discovered  one  of  the  tins  to  be  swollen  just 
before  the  provisions  were  started  off.  Has- 
tily the  tins  were  opened  and  the  rice  found 
unfit  for  use.  The  dessicated  potatoes  were  at 
once  served  out  in  place  of  the  rice,  the  cans 
scalded  and  again  sealed. 

With  the  navigating  instruments  and  the 
clothing  of  the  voyagers  on  board,  the  boat 
was  pronounced  ready  and  we  went  to  dinner. 
There  was  little  conversation  during  the  meal. 
The  impending  departure  of  our  shipmates 
hung  like  a  pall  of  gloom  over  us  at  the  last 
and  was  too  thought-absorbing  for  speech. 
Talbot  seemed  to  be  the  most  unconcerned 
of  all,  but  as  I  watched  him  I  felt  that  the 
brave  fellow  was  assuming  it  to  encourage 
the  rest  of  us.  I  had  a  long  friendly  talk  with 
him,  last  evening,  during  which  he  seemed 
thoroughly  to  estimate  the  risk  he  was  to  take, 
and  entrusted  to  me  his  will  to  be  forwarded 

(  63  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE  OF   THE    SAGINAW 

to  his  parents  in  Kentucky  in  case  he  should 
not  survive  the  journey. 

All  hands  have  been  given  permission  to 
send  letters  by  the  boat,  so  all  papers,  to- 
gether with  a  bill  of  exchange  for  two  hun- 
dred pounds  sterling,  which  by  order  of  the 
captain  I  have  given  to  Talbot,  have  been 
sealed  air  tight  in  a  tin  case.  I  sent  the  follow- 
ing letter  to  my  home  in  Philadelphia,  which 
I  will  insert  here,  as  it  partially  represents  the 
state  of  affairs :  — 

You  will  of  course  be  surprised  to  receive  a  let- 
ter from  this  desert  island,  but  it  now  has  a  popu- 
lation of  ninety-three  men,  the  Saginaw's  crew. 
In  short,  we  were  wrecked  on  the  coral  reef  sur- 
rounding it,  and  the  Saginaw  is  no  more.  We  left 
Midway  Islands  on  the  evening  of  Friday,  October 
28,  and  the  next  morning  at  three  o'clock  found 
ourselves  thumping  on  the  reef.  We  stayed  by  the 
ship  until  daylight,  when  we  got  out  three  boats 
and  all  the  provisions  we  possibly  could.  We  also 
saved  the  safe,  part  of  the  ship's  books,  about  one 

(  64  ) 


THE  SAILING  OF  THE  GIG 

fourth  of  my  clothing,  and  my  watch.  If  you  could 
see  me  now  you  would  hardly  recognize  me :  a  pair 
of  boots  almost  large  enough  for  two  feet  in  one, 
ragged  trousers,  an  old  felt  hat,  and  no  coat  —  I 
keep  that  for  evenings  when  it  is  cool.  I  have  my 
best  uniform  saved,  having  rescued  it  to  come 
ashore  in.  We  had  to  wade  about  two  hundred 
feet  on  the  reef,  and  I  stood  in  water  about  one 
half  of  the  day  helping  to  pass  provisions  to  the 
boats;  then  went  ashore  and  spread  them  on  the 
beach  to  dry. 

We  have  been  living  on  very  short  allowance, 
being  thankful  for  a  spoonful  of  beans,  a  small  piece 
of  meat  twice  a  day,  with  a  cup  of  tea  or  coffee  in 
the  morning.  I  am  indeed  thankful  that  no  lives 
were  lost,  and  hope  to  see  you  all  in  three  months' 
time.  The  gig  has  been  decked  over  and  is  to 
start  for  Honolulu,  to-morrow  or  next  day,  for 
relief. 

Ocean  Island  is  similar  in  formation  to  Midway, 
but  is  larger  and  the  coral  reef  is  farther  from  the 
land. 

We  had  for  breakfast  this  morning  some  of  the 
brown  albatross  or  "goonies,"  as  they  call  them. 

(65  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE    SAGINAW 

We  shall  not  want  for  meat  for  some  time,  as  there 
is  an  abundance  of  fish  seal  and  turtle,  but  the 
flour,  rice,  and  hard  bread  will  not  last  more  than 
two  and  one  half  months. 

I  hope  this  will  reach  you  before  you  get  anxious 
about  us,  for  if  the  gig  should  not  be  successful  we 
may  have  to  stay  here  until  the  middle  of  March. 
I  shall  send  this  in  her  to  be  mailed  from  Hono- 
lulu. Our  executive  officer  and  four  men  go  in  her, 
and  a  perilous  trip  it  will  be,  for  she  is  only  twenty 
feet  long  and  the  distance  is  over  a  thousand  miles. 
Look  us  up  on  the  map. 

Most  of  our  sails  were  saved  and  we  are  com- 
paratively comfortable  in  good  tents.  I  am  well 
but  hungry.  We  have  dug  wells,  but  found  no 
fresh  water.  However,  we  are  getting  some  from 
a  condenser  fitted  by  our  chief  engineer.  Alto- 
gether we  have  more  conveniences  than  might  be 
expected  and  are  in  good  health  generally.  I 
should  like  to  write  to  friends,  but  space  in  the 
boat  is  scarce  and  everybody  is  writing. 

The  hour  set  for  the  boat's  departure  (four 
o'clock)  arrived  and  we  were  all  mustered 

(66) 


THE  SAILING  OF  THE  GIG 

upon  the  beach.  Prayers  were  read  by  the 
captain,  after  which  final  farewells  were  said 
and  the  brave  men  who  were  to  peril  their 
lives  for  us  waded  off  to  the  gig  and  climbed 
on  board.  They  quickly  stepped  the  little 
masts,  spread  the  miniature  sails,  raised  their 
anchor,  and  slowly  gaining  headway  stood 
off  for  the  western  channel  through  the  reef. 
With  full  hearts  and  with  many  in  tears,  we 
gave  them  three  rousing  cheers  and  a  tiger, 
which  were  responded  to  with  spirit,  and  we 
watched  them  until  the  boat  faded  from  sight 
on  the  horizon  to  the  northward. 

As  I  write  this  by  the  dim  light  of  a  candle 
the  mental  excitement  due  from  the  parting 
with  our  shipmates  seems  still  to  pervade  the 
tent  and  no  one  is  thinking  of  turning  in. 

Mr.  Bailey,  the  foreman  of  the  contractor's 
party,  came  into  the  tent  soon  after  we  had 
gathered  for  the  evening.  He  had  in  his  hand 
a  small  book  and  on  his  face  a  smile  as  he 

(67) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

passed  it  around,  showing  each  one  an  open 
page  of  the  book;  when  he  reached  me  I  saw 
it  was  a  pocket  Bible  opened  at  the  fifty-first 
chapter  of  Isaiah,  where  Mr.  B.'s  finger 
rested  under  the  words,  "The  isles  shall  wait 
upon  me  and  on  my  arm  shall  they  trust." 
He  did  not  speak  until  I  had  read,  and  then 
said  he  had  opened  the  Bible  by  chance,  as 
was  his  habit  every  evening.  Poor  Bailey! 
We  all  feel  very  sorry  for  him.  He  is  a  fine 
character,  well  advanced  in  years;  and  having 
by  economy  accumulated  considerable  money, 
had  bought  himself  a  home,  before  coming 
out,  to  which  he  was  intending  to  retire  when 
this  contract  was  completed. 

By  invitation  from  the  captain  I  accom- 
panied him  in  walking  around  the  entire 
island,  avoiding,  however,  the  extreme  point 
to  the  westward,  where  albatross  were  nesting. 
He  talked  but  little,  and  I  saw  that  his  eyes 
often  turned  to  the  spot  where  the  gig  had 

(68) 


THE  SAILING  OF  THE  GIG 

disappeared  from  view.  As  we  separated  in 
front  of  his  little  tent  he  said  with  a  voice 
full  of  pathos  to  me,  "Good-night,  Paymas- 
ter; God  grant  that  we  see  them  again." 

I  find  that  I  have  so  far  omitted  to  give  the 
personnel  of  Talbot's  crew.  As  stated  before 
there  were  many  volunteers,  but  the  surgeon 
was  ordered  to  select  from  a  list  given  him 
four  of  the  most  vigorous  and  sturdy  of  the 
applicants  and  report  their  names  to  the  cap- 
tain. There  was  considerable  rivalry  among 
them.  In  fact  I  was  accidentally  a  witness  to 
a  hard-fought  wrestling-match  between  two 
of  the  crew  who  sought  the  honor  of  going 
and  risking  their  lives.  The  defeated  one,  I 
was  told,  was  to  waive  his  claim  in  favor  of 
the  victor. 

The  following  letter,  which  has  gone  in  the 
boat  from  our  captain  to  the  Admiral  of  the 
Pacific  fleet,  gives  the  personnel  of  the  boat's 
crew  and  other  information. 

(69) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE   SAGINAW 

Ocean  Island,  Pacific  Ocean, 
November  16,  1870. 
Rear  Admiral  John  A.  Winslow, 
Commanding  Pacific  Fleet. 

Sir:  —  I  have  the  honor  to  recommend  that  the 
attention  of  the  Department  be  particularly  called 
to  the  fine  conduct  of  Lieutenant  J.  G.  Talbot. 
The  day  after  the  wreck  of  the  Saginaw,  Lieu- 
tenant Talbot  came  to  me  and  volunteered  to  take 
one  of  the  ship's  boats  to  Honolulu  in  order  to 
bring  back  relief  for  the  officers  and  crew  of  the 
vessel.  He  has  been  most  zealous  and  spirited 
through  this  whole  affair  and  of  the  greatest 
assistance  to  me. 

His  boat  (by  the  usual  route  at  this  season)  will 
probably  have  to  sail  and  pull  some  fifteen  hun- 
dred miles,  and  I  think  some  recognition  of  his 
handsome  conduct  would  be  proper. 

The  names  of  the  crew  are  as  follows :  —  Lieu- 
tenant J.  G.  Talbot;  Coxswain  William  Halford; 
Quartermaster  Peter  Francis;  Seaman  John 
Andrews;  Seaman  James  Muir.  The  last  two  are 
contractor's  men  and  were  specially  enlisted  by  me 
from  Mr.  Townsend's  party  for  one  month.  They 

(70) 


THE  SAILING  OF  THE  GIG 

were  men  of  such  fine  qualities  and  endurance  that 
I  thought  it  proper  to  let  them  go. 

The  enlistment  was  made  with  the  express  un- 
derstanding between  myself  and  them  that  it  did 
not  interfere  with  their  previous  contract  with  Mr. 
Townsend. 

I  am  very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

Montgomery  Sicard, 
Lieut.-Comd'r-commanding. 


WAITING 

Thursday,  November  24.  Thanksgiving 
Day  —  at  home;  the  noble  bird,  roast  turkey, 
has  not  graced  our  tarpaulin-covered  table. 
He  has  been  replaced  by  a  tough  section  of 
albatross.  Nor  was  there  any  expression  of 
thanks  at  the  mess  table  until  one  of  the 
officers,  having  finished  the  extra  cup  of 
coffee  served  in  honor  of  the  day,  said,  "Say, 
fellows,  let's  be  thankful  that  we  are  alive, 
well  and  still  with  hope." 

Last  evening  about  nine  o'clock  we  were 
given  another  flurry  of  excitement  over  ex- 
pected relief.  The  storehouse  sentry  reported 
a  light  to  the  eastward  and  in  a  "jiffy"  our 
tent  was  empty.  Sure  enough,  there  was  a 
bright  light  close  to  the  horizon  which,  as 

(  ™  ) 


WAITING 

we  watched,  appeared  to  grow  larger  and 
nearer.  The  captain  was  called,  and  I  joined 
him  with  Mr.  Cogswell  (our  new  executive 
officer  since  Talbot  left)  in  front  of  his  tent. 
After  watching  the  light  for  a  few  minutes, 
the  captain  turned  to  us  and  said,  "Gentle- 
men, it  is  only  a  star  rising  and  the  atmo- 
sphere is  very  clear.  Better  turn  in  again"; 
and  he  entered  the  tent. 

Sunday,  November  27.  Last  Sunday  and  to- 
day we  have  had  divine  service  led  by  the  cap- 
tain reading  the  prayers  of  the  Episcopal  ritual. 

(Note.  —  I  find  nothing  but  the  Thanks- 
giving note  in  my  journal  after  the  departure 
of  the  gig  until  November  27,  other  than 
official  entries  of  receipts  and  expenditures  of 
food,  —  the  receipt  of  seals  and  albatross 
killed  by  Mr.  Blye  and  his  detail  of  men ;  the 
expenditure  being  the  same  with  the  daily 
allowance  of  flour  or  beans  and  the  coffee  for 
the  noon  meal.) 

(73) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE   SAGINAW 

Work  has  been  steadily  pushed  on  the 
schooner.  The  keel  has  been  hewed  out  of  the 
Saginaw's  late  topmast  and  is  blocked  up  on 
the  beach.  We  are  ripping  the  old  deck  planks 
in  two  with  our  old  bucksaw  and  one  handsaw, 
and  while  it  is  slow  work  we  can  see  our  boat 
planking  ahead  of  us  when  the  frame  is  ready. 
The  schooner  is  to  be  forty  feet  long,  of  centre- 
board, flat-bottomed  type,  and  the  captain 
has  settled  upon  her  shape  and  dimensions 
after  experimenting  with  a  small  model  in 
company  with  the  contractor's  carpenter, 
who  has  had  experience  in  boat-building. 

This  morning  about  sunrise  the  camp  was 
roused  to  excitement  by  the  loud  cry  of  "Sail 
ho!"  I  found  on  joining  the  crowd  at  the 
landing  that  the  captain  had  ordered  a  boat 
launched  and  her  crew  were  already  pulling 
away  in  a  northerly  direction. 

I  could  see  nothing  from  the  crow's  nest  at 
the  masthead,  but  the  statement  of  one  of  the 

(  74  ) 


,^.    -  .  -, 


"•I'Aiitt,      -.£(  :     j     .■ 

RIPPING  TIMBERS  FOR  THE  SCHOONER 


THE  FRAME  OF  THE  SCHOONER  AS  WE  LEFT  IT 


WAITING 

crew  that  he  had  seen  a  sail  was  positive;  and 
the  camp  was  full  of  a  nervous  expectancy 
until  nine  o'clock,  when  the  boat  returned 
with  the  disappointing  news  that  the  alleged 
sail  was  only  a  large  white  rock  on  the  north 
end  of  the  reef  that  had  reflected  the  sun's 
rays.  As  the  sun  rose  to  a  greater  angle  the 
reflection  disappeared.  An  order  was  at  once 
given  out  that  no  one  should  again  alarm  the 
camp  before  permission  from  the  captain  was 
obtained. 

Sunday,  December  25.  Christmas  Day!! 
Merry  Christmas  at  home,  but  dreary  enough 
here!  Still  the  salutation  was  passed  around 
in  a  half-hearted  manner.  It  is  the  first  day 
since  the  wreck  that  depression  of  spirit  has 
been  so  contagious  and  camp-wide.  The 
religious  services,  as  we  stood  in  the  sand 
bareheaded  (some  barefooted  also),  hardly 
seemed  to  fit  our  situation,  and  the  voice  of 
the  captain  was  subdued  and  occasionally 

(75) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

tremulous.  I  had  donned  my  best  uniform 
coat,  which  had  come  ashore  when  the  wreck 
was  stripped,  and  tried  also  to  put  on  a  cheer- 
ful face.  No  use;  I  could  not  keep  up  the 
deceit,  and  I  slipped  out  of  line  before  the 
service  was  ended,  to  change  back  to  the  blue 
sailor  shirt  and  working  clothes.  I  felt  that  I 
had  been  "putting  on  airs."  It  has  been  my 
first  really  blue  day,  for  the  pictures  in  my 
mind  of  the  Christmas  festivities  at  home 
but  emphasized  the  desolation  of  the  life 
here. 

Strangely  enough,  Dr.  Frank  has  seemed  to 
a  certain  extent  to  be  more  cheerful  than 
usual.  It  seems  queer  that  he,  pessimist  as  he 
appeared  to  me  when  he  predicted  disaster 
before  we  sailed  from  the  Midway  Islands, 
should  now  be  the  optimist  and  attempt  to 
dispel  our  gloom.  Some  expert  in  psychical 
research  may  be  able  to  discern,  as  I  cannot, 
why  the  doctor's  belief  in  Talbot's  success 

(76) 


WAITING 

should  now  have  influence  enough  to  change 
my  melancholy  into  a  firmer  hope  than  ever. 

We  borrowed  the  chart  from  the  captain 
and  followed  in  pure  imagination  the  course 
of  the  gig;  and  when  we  folded  it,  the  doctor 
said  that  he  believed  Talbot  had  arrived  at 
the  end  of  his  journey  and  we  should  be  re- 
lieved. Talbot  has  now  been  away  thirty- 
seven  days,  and  our  several  estimates  of  the 
time  he  would  consume  have  been  between 
thirty  and  forty. 

Every  afternoon,  when  work  is  suspended 
for  the  day  and  we  have  repaired  to  the  tent, 
the  expression  of  Talbot's  whereabouts  is  the 
first  note  of  discussion;  as  though  it  had  not 
been  in  our  minds  all  the  long  weary  day  of 
work. 

As  the  possible  failure  of  Talbot's  brave 
effort  begins  to  enter  our  calculations,  the 
greater  is  the  exertion  to  provide  in  the  near 
future  another  avenue  of  escape.    So,  with 

(  77  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE   SAGINAW 

gradually  weakened  strength,  owing  to  lack 
of  sustaining  food,  the  labor  we  find  arduous 
and  exhausting;  I,  being  included  in  the  car- 
penter's gang  on  the  schooner,  realize  that 
fact  thoroughly.  Yesterday  the  captain  and 
myself  made  another  circuit  of  the  island, 
and  both  were  glad  to  rest  on  the  return  to 
the  camp. 

The  captain  has  ordered  the  cutter  to  be 
also  fitted  for  a  voyage  to  the  Midway  Islands. 
There  he  intends  to  have  a  sign  erected  stat- 
ing, briefly,  our  situation ;  to  serve  in  case  the 
Navy  Department  should  send  (as  we  expect 
it  will)  a  searching  vessel  for  us.  Twice  every 
day  I  have  climbed  the  rope  ladder  on  the 
mast  and  searched  with  anxious  eyes  through 
my  rescued  opera  glasses  the  shipless  horizon ; 
sometimes  with  such  a  strain  of  nerves  and 
hope  that  phantom  vessels  plague  my  vision. 
The  loneliness  and  solitude  of  the  vast  ex- 
panse of   water   surrounding  us  is  beyond 

(78) 


WAITING 

expression.  Truly,  it  is  the  desert  of  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  and  more  dangerous  than  that 
upon  the  land,  for  there  are  no  trails  or  guide- 
posts  for  the  weary  traveler  when  the  sky  is 
obscured.  One  might  easily  fancy  that  be- 
yond the  line  of  the  horizon  there  exists  only 
infinite  space.  As  the  Prince  of  the  Happy 
Valley  observes  in  "Rasselas,"  after  an  ocean 
voyage,  "There  is  no  variety  but  the  differ- 
ence between  rest  and  motion." 

I  do  not  remember  the  cry  of  "Sail  ho!" 
during  all  of  our  cruising  between  the  Ha- 
waiian and  Midway  Islands  save  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  the  former. 

The  rats  are  more  in  evidence  of  late.  At 
first  small  and  timid,  they  are  now  growing 
larger  and  bolder;  running  about  and  over  us 
in  the  tents  during  the  night.  We  are  getting 
quite  accustomed  to  their  visits,  however, 
and,  rolling  ourselves  in  blankets  or  whatever 
covering  we  have,  pay  small  attention  to  them* 

(79) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

If  we  stay  here,  though,  our  attention  will 
become  more  acute;  for  they  begin  to  loom  up 
in  importance  as  a  food  supply. 

The  seal,  on  the  contrary,  are  growing  less 
in  numbers,  although  great  care  has  been 
taken  not  to  frighten  them  away.  Also,  we 
have  not  lately  attempted  fishing  on  the  reef, 
for  fear  of  reducing  their  food.  We  have  been 
prevented  from  trying  the  eggs  of  the  alba- 
tross, that  their  nesting  may  continue  without 
interruption.  They  will  probably  leave,  too, 
when  the  hatching  season  is  over  and  the 
young  have  been  taught  to  fly. 

So  far  as  our  present  ration  is  concerned, 
with  the  exception  of  beans,  flour,  and  coffee 
from  which  our  small  daily  issue  is  made,  we 
are  situated  as  though  no  provisions  had  been 
rescued  from  the  wreck;  for  the  captain  has 
wisely  ordered  that  all  the  rest  must  be  held 
intact  to  provision  the  schooner.  So,  with  all 
the  nerve  we  can  muster,  the  work  on  the 

(80) 


WAITING 

schooner  is  being  pushed.  To-day  the  frame 
stands  ready  for  the  planking,  and  the  captain 
thinks  that  in  another  week  her  mast  can  be 
ready  for  stepping. 

Last  Thursday  we  had  our  second  most 
violent  wind  and  rainstorm.  It  came  with 
hurricane  force  from  the  eastward,  and  the 
tremendous  sea  crossed  the  reef  and  reached 
our  beach  with  considerable  energy  left  in  it. 
Our  schooner  that  is  to  be,  with  her  frame 
almost  completed,  was  perilously  near  the 
waves,  and  all  hands  were  called.  We  turned 
out  in  the  storm  and  carried  her  bodily  higher 
up  on  the  beach  and  breathed  more  at  ease 
when  we  saw  the  seas  diminish  with  the  dying 
wind. 

Mr.  Blye  has  been,  to-day,  our  Santa  Claus, 
and  with  several  others  I  have  received  a 
Christmas  present  of  great  value.  As  before 
noted,  there  came  on  shore  from  the  wreck 
when  it  was  being  stripped  a  box  of  Manila 

(81  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

cigars,  and  it  has  been  supposed  that  they 
were  all  distributed  by  the  generous  owner 
and  had  been  smoked.  To-day,  however,  Mr. 
Blye  discovered  that  three  of  them  lay  in  the 
bottom  of  his  chest,  and  to  be  impartial  he 
divided  them  into  three  parts  each  and  doled 
them  out.  My  present  was  thankfully  and 
cheerfully  accepted,  and  while  I  am  writing 
my  journal,  is  passing  off  in  wreaths  of  hope 
above  my  head. 

Mr.  Bailey  and  myself  have  for  several 
days  been  having  the  joint  use  of  an  old  clay 
pipe  he  had  saved,  and  we  have  been  trying 
to  smoke  the  dried  leaves  and  bark  of  the 
bushes  around  us.  It  is  a  failure  with  me. 
Now  much  has  been  said  by  learned  men  for 
as  well  as  against  the  use  of  tobacco,  but  I 
do  not  hesitate  to  testify  to  its  great  value  in 
conditions  such  as  ours.  It  has  been  a  cheer- 
ing companion  to  our  thoughts  in  solitude, 
and  a  comfort  in  depression  of  spirits.  I  have 

(  82  ) 


WAITING 

even  seen  one  man  offer  his  only  coat  for  a 
piece  of  plug  about  the  size  of  a  silver  dollar. 

Sunday,  January  1,  1871.  New  Year'sDay 
—  "Happy  New  Year"!  I  think  no  one  but 
the  marine  sentry  at  the  storehouse  saw  the 
birth  of  the  new  year  or  cared  to  see  the  new 
year  come  in.  For  myself  I  hope  there  will  be 
no  more  holidays  to  chronicle  here  except  it 
may  be  the  one  that  liberates  us  from  these 
surroundings.  They  have  —  the  three  we  have 
had  here  —  aroused  too  many  sombre  reflec- 
tions in  contrasting  those  of  the  past  with  the 
present. 

Talbot  has  now  been  away  forty-three  days 
and  it  seems  almost  beyond  probability  that 
he  should  have  reached  the  Sandwich  Islands 
before  the  food  was  exhausted.  There  is  a 
lingering  hope,  however,  that  some  delay  in 
starting  relief  for  us  may  have  occurred  or 
that  he  may  have  reached  some  island  other 
than  Oahu,  where  Honolulu  is  situated,  and 

(  83  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

that  communication  with  Oahu  may  be  lim- 
ited. We  are  "threshing  out"  the  whole  sit- 
uation to-night  in  earnest  discussion  between 
the  sanguine  and  non-sanguine  members  of 
the  mess. 


VI 

RESCUED 

Tuesday,  January  3.  At  midnight.  It  is 
near  an  impossibility  sanely  and  calmly  to 
write  up  my  journal  to-night  —  my  nerves 
are  shaken  and  my  pencil  falters.  I  have 
climbed  into  the  storehouse  to  get  away  from 
the  commotion  in  the  tent  and  all  over  the 
camp.  No  one  can  possibly  sleep,  for  I  can 
see  through  a  rent  in  the  canvas  men  dancing 
around  a  huge  fire  on  the  highest  point  of  the 
island,  and  hear  them  cheering  and  singing 
while  feeding  the  fire  with  timbers  that  we 
have  been  regarding  as  worth  their  weight  in 
coin.  To  a  looker-on  the  entire  camp  would 
seem  to  have  gone  crazy.  I  will  tell  what  I 
can  now  and  the  rest  some  other  time. 

At  half-past  three  this  afternoon  I  was 

(85) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

working  on  the  schooner  near  Mr.  Mitchell, 
one  of  the  carpenters  of  the  contractor's 
party.  I  was  handing  him  a  nail  when  I 
noticed  his  eyes  steadily  fixed  on  some  point 
seaward.  He  paid  no  attention  to  me,  and  his 
continued  gaze  induced  me  to  turn  my  eyes 
in  the  same  direction  to  find  what  was  so 
attractive  as  to  cause  his  ignoring  me.  I  saw 
then,  too,  something  that  held  my  gaze.  Far 
off  to  the  northeast  and  close  to  the  horizon 
there  was  something  like  a  shadow  that  had 
not  been  there  when  I  had  last  visited  the 
lookout.  It  appeared  as  a  faintly  outlined 
cloud,  and  as  we  both  watched  with  idle  tools 
in  our  hands  it  seemed  to  grow  in  size  and 
density.  Very  soon  he  spoke  in  a  low  voice, 
as  though  not  wishing  to  give  a  false  alarm: 
"Paymaster,  I  believe  that  is  the  smoke  of  a 
steamer,"  and  after  another  look,  "I  am  sure 
of  it";  and  then  arose  a  shout  that  all  could 
hear,  "Sail  ho!" 

(86) 


THE  FLAGSTAFF  FROM  WHICH  THE  KILAUEA  WAS 
SIGHTED 


■■■j-^ 


,-., 


^^^'Jh*-*' 


CAMP  SAGINAW  ON  THE  DAY  OF  RESCUE 


RESCUED 

The  order  concerning  alarms  was  forgotten 
in  his  excitement,  but  as  the  captain  stood 
near  and  his  face  beamed  with  his  own  joy, 
no  notice  was  taken  of  the  violation.  He 
directed  me  at  once  to  visit  the  lookout,  and  I 
did  so,  rapidly  securing  my  glasses.  By  the 
time  I  reached  the  top  of  the  mast  I  could  see 
that  the  shadow  we  had  watched  was  devel- 
oping into  a  long  and  well-marked  line  of 
smoke  and  that  a  steamer  was  headed  to  the 
westward  in  front  of  it.  I  notified  the  eager, 
inquiring  crowd  at  the  foot  of  the  mast  and 
still  kept  my  glasses  trained  on  the  steamer 
until  her  smokestack  came  into  view.  She 
was  not  heading  directly  for  us,  and  I  cannot 
describe  the  anxiety  with  which  I  watched  to 
see  if  she  was  going  to  pass  by,  —  my  heart 
was  thumping  so  that  one  could  hear  it.  I 
could  not  believe  she  would  fail  to  see  our 
signal  of  distress  that  waved  above  me,  and 
pass  on  to  leave  us  stricken  with  despair. 

(87) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

When  she  arrived  at  a  point  nearly  to  the 
north  of  us,  I  saw  her  change  her  course  until 
her  masts  were  in  line,  and  then  I  shouted  the 
fact  to  those  below,  for  it  was  evident  she 
was  bound  for  Ocean  Island. 

The  long  dreary  suspense  was  over;  our 
relief  was  near,  and  I  slid  down  the  Jacob's 
ladder,  pale  and  speechless.  The  few  moments 
of  tense  watchfulness  had  seemed  to  me  like 
hours  of  suspense,  and  it  is  slight  wonder  that 
it  took  some  time  to  recover  my  speech.  When 
I  did  so  I  acquainted  the  captain  with  all  I 
had  seen.  By  the  time  I  had  completed  my 
statement  the  steamer  was  in  view  from  the 
ground,  and  then  I  witnessed  such  a  scene  as 
will  never  be  forgotten. 

Rough-looking  men  —  many  of  them  hav- 
ing faced  the  shocks  of  storm  and  battle  — 
all  of  them  having  passed  through  our  recent 
misfortunes  without  a  murmur  of  complaint 
—  were  embracing  each  other  with  tears  of 

(88) 


RESCUED 

joy  running  down  their  cheeks,  while  laugh- 
ing, singing,  and  dancing. 

I  was  at  once  ordered  to  break  into  our 
supplies  and  issue  the  best  meal  to  all  hands 
that  I  could  concoct.  This  I  certainly  did 
with  haste,  and  after  our  supper  of  boiled 
salt  pork,  flour,  and  beans,  finished  off  with  a 
cup  of  coffee,  I  felt  as  I  might  after  a  Del- 
monico  dinner.  It  was  a  much-interrupted 
meal,  however,  for  some  one  or  more  were 
continually  rushing  out  of  the  tent  and  re- 
turning to  report  to  the  rest  the  movements 
of  the  steamer.  By  the  time  we  had  finished 
supper  she  was  very  near  and  was  recognized 
as  the  Kilauea,  a  vessel  belonging  to  the  King 
of  the  Sandwich  Islands.  She  came  within 
half  a  mile  of  the  reef  where  the  Saginaw  was 
wrecked  and  dipped  her  flag  and  then  slowly 
steamed  away  in  a  southerly  direction.  This 
manoeuvre  we  understood,  for,  as  it  was  get- 
ting late  in  the  day,  our  rescuers  were  evi- 

(  89  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

dently  intending  to  return  to-morrow  and 
avoid  the  danger  of  a  night  near  the  reef.  Our 
captain  has  ordered  a  fire  to  be  kept  in  good 
blazing  order  throughout  the  night  as  a 
beacon. 

Thursday,  January  5.  On  board  the  Kil- 
auea  (pronounced  Kilaway)  at  sea.  It  was 
next  to  impossible  yesterday  to  make  any 
entries  in  my  journal,  and  even  this  evening 
I  have  been  compelled  to  ask  Captain  Long 
for  the  temporary  use  of  his  stateroom,  owing 
to  the  tumult  in  the  cabin  and  on  deck; 
because  I  wish  to  record  events  while  they 
are  fresh  in  my  memory.  So  much  excite- 
ment and  so  many  incidents  were  crowded 
in  during  the  time  we  were  rapidly  collecting 
our  effects  and  embarking  on  the  Kilauea  that 
it  is  difficult  to  note  them  in  order. 

The  Kilauea  appeared  at  daybreak  and 
anchored  near  the  west  entrance  of  the 
lagoon,  and  very  soon  after  her  captain  came 

(90) 


CAPTAIX  LONG 

Commander  of  the  Kilauea 


RESCUED 

to  our  landing-place  in  a  whaleboat.  I  recog- 
nized in  him  an  old  Honolulu  friend,  —  Cap- 
tain Thomas  Long,  a  retired  whaling  captain, 
and  as  he  stepped  from  his  boat,  we  gave  him 
three  rousing  cheers  while  we  stood  at  atten- 
tion near  the  fringe  of  bushes  around  the 
camp.  Captain  Sicard  went  down  the  beach 
alone  to  receive  him,  and  after  a  cordial 
greeting,  they  conferred  together  for  a  few 
minutes.  Together  they  came  towards  us 
apparently  in  sober  thought,  and  Captain 
Sicard  held  up  his  hand  as  a  signal  for  silence. 
He  uncovered  his  head  and  said,  in  a  tremu- 
lous voice,  "Men,  I  have  the  great  sorrow  to 
announce  to  you  that  we  have  been  saved  at 
a  great  sacrifice.  Lieutenant  Talbot  and  three 
of  the  gig's  crew  are  dead.  The  particulars 
you  will  learn  later;  at  present,  Captain  Long 
is  anxious  for  us  to  remove  to  the  Kilauea  as 
quickly  as  possible."  He  bowed  his  head  and 
a  low  murmur  of  grief  passed  along  our  line. 

(91) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

From  a  cheering,  happy  crowd  we  were  as  in 
an  instant  changed  to  one  of  mourning.  All 
the  dreary  waiting  days  we  have  passed 
seemed  to  fade  into  insignificance  in  the  face 
of  this  great  sorrow. 

Captain  Long  inquired  if  anything  was 
needed  immediately,  stating  that  a  generous 
supply  of  food  and  clothing  had  been  rushed 
on  board  the  Kilauea  in  Honolulu,  and  that 
she  had  started  to  sea  eight  hours  after  he 
had  been  notified  of  her  mission.  One  of  the 
officers  told  him  that  the  thing  that  would 
best  supply  a  long-felt  want  was  tobacco; 
so  the  Kilauea's  boat  was  at  once  dispatched 
to  the  steamer  for  a  box  of  it,  which  when 
opened  on  the  beach  was  greedily  appropri- 
ated. 

I  went  off  to  the  Kilauea  in  the  first  of  the 
embarking  boats,  taking  the  ship's  safe  and 
papers  that  had  been  stored  at  the  head  of  n^ 
mattress  in  the  tent;  therefore  did  not  see  the 

(  92  ) 


RESCUED 

final  disposition  of  articles  left  on  the  island; 
but  they  suddenly  lost  all  interest  to  me  and, 
beyond  the  fact  that  our  water  supply  was 
labeled  with  a  sign  for  future  unfortunates, 
I  know  but  little.  The  captain  tells  me  that 
Captain  Long  demurred  at  the  length  of  time 
it  would  take  to  bring  off  most  of  the  govern- 
ment property,  saying  that  his  duty  to  us 
and  to  his  vessel  made  it  necessary  to  get 
away  from  this  dangerous  neighborhood  at 
the  earliest  possible  moment;  the  rescue  of 
life  and  not  property  was  his  object  in  coming 
to  us.  So  our  food  supply  and  many  articles 
of  equipment  were  collected  and  stored  at  the 
highest  point  of  the  island. 

When  I  reached  the  Kilauea  I  was  served 
with  a  good  meal,  of  which  I  ate  sparingly; 
and,  having  deposited  the  safe  in  a  near  cor- 
ner of  the  cabin,  "  turned  in"  on  a  near  berth, 
boots  and  all,  sleeping  through  all  the  tur- 
moil made  when  the  others  came  off.  And  so 

(  93  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE    SAGINAW 

we  sailed  away  at  dusk  to  the  eastward, 
turning  our  backs  on  the  desolate  home  where 
we  had  suffered  for  sixty-seven  days. 

I  have  learned  that  a  fast-sailing  schooner, 
Kona,  was  dispatched  on  Saturday  evening 
under  charter  by  the  American  Minister, 
eight  hours  after  the  arrival  of  Halford.  Our 
consul  and  vice-consul,  with  other  friends, 
however,  prevailed  upon  the  United  States 
Minister,  Mr.  Pierce,  to  accept  the  offer  of 
the  Kilauea  by  the  King;  urging  as  a  reason 
that  there  was  no  certainty  of  our  being  in  a 
condition  to  await  the  slow  progress  of  a 
sailing-vessel;  that  there  might  be  sickness 
and  even  starvation  in  our  party.  The  Kil- 
auea was  hastily  coaled  and  sailed  on  Mon- 
day. 

(Note.  The  Kona  was  sighted  in  the  offing 
as  we  were  leaving  Ocean  Island,  and  running 
down  to  her  Captain  Long  ordered  her  back 
to  Honolulu.) 

(  94  ) 


RESCUED 

On  the  way  to  Honolulu,  while  sitting  in 
the  pilot  house  of  the  Kilauea,  I  overheard  a 
conversation  on  deck  between  two  of  the 
Saginaw's  men  concerning  the  superstition 
connected  with  sailing  on  Friday.  "What 
better  proof,"  said  one  of  them,  "would  you 
have  of  its  being  an  unlucky  day  than  in  the 
case  of  the  Saginaw?  She  sailed  from  the 
Midway  Islands  on  a  Friday,  and  two  days 
afterward  she  lay  a  total  wreck  among  the 
breakers  of  Ocean  Island.  The  gig  that  went 
for  help  also  started  on  Friday,  and  what  was 
the  result?  Four  out  of  the  five  brave  boys 
who  manned  her  came  to  an  untimely  end  — 
how  Halford  escaped  is  a  mystery  to  me;  but 
I  guess  he'll  think  twice  before  venturing  on 
another  voyage  on  that  day  of  the  week." 
I  said  to  myself  that  I  would  think  twice,  too, 
unless  I  was  starting  under  orders. 


VII 

THE   FATE   OF   THE   GIG 

Honolulu,  January  28,  1871.  Perhaps 
some  reader  may  deem  the  story  of  the  Sagi- 
naw's last  cruise  complete.  I  cannot,  how- 
ever, consider  it  so  while  lacking  the  sorrowful 
story  of  our  comrades'  voyage  in  the  gig, 
with  its  fatal  ending  as  told  by  Halford,  the 
sole  survivor.  Nor  would  it  be  less  than  in- 
gratitude to  pass  unnoticed  the  fact  of  our 
hearty  reception  when  we  arrived  here  on  the 
fourteenth,  well  fed  and  well  clothed  through 
the  generous  exertions  of  our  friends.  The 
King,  his  Cabinet,  and  most  of  the  population 
were  on  the  wharves  as  the  Kilauea  steamed 
into  the  harbor.  The  cheers  and  hat-waving 
were  but  the  prelude  to  a  most  cordial  and 
affectionate  greeting  when  we  landed  in  the 

(96) 


THE  FATE  OF  THE  GIG 

midst  of  the  throng.  Several  of  the  officers 
were  at  once  seized  upon  and  taken  to  the 
homes  of  their  old-time  friends.  When  I  could 
elude  the  crowd  I  was  whisked  away  in  a 
carriage  to  the  Nuuanu  Valley  home  of  Mr. 
John  Paty,  and  there  rested  in  luxury  and 
comfort  until  to-day,  when  we  are  to  sail  on 
the  steamer  Moses  Taylor.  In  recognition  of 
his  great  kindness  as  well  as  to  illustrate  the 
comfortable  style  of  the  island  homes,  I  in- 
sert a  picture  of  Mr.  Paty's  bungalow. 

On  Thursday  our  captain  and  several  offi- 
cers were  received  in  audience  by  the  King, 
and  in  acknowledgment  of  the  great  kindness 
shown  us,  the  following  address  was  pre- 
sented. 

Our  captain  said :  — 

In  behalf  of  the  rear  admiral  commanding  the 
Pacific  fleet,  I  desire  to  thank  your  Majesty  for 
the  most  courteous  offer  of  the  steamer  Kilauea 
to  go  to  the  assistance  of  the  shipwrecked  crew  of 

(97) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

the  United  States  Ship  Saginaw  on  Ocean  Island. 
It  was  a  most  welcome  and  opportune  relief  to  the 
company  of  United  States  officers  and  seamen 
there  in  distress;  a  proof  of  your  Majesty's  friendly 
feeling  toward  our  Navy.  I  am  sure  your  Majesty's 
kind  and  humane  intentions  were  most  efficiently 
carried  out  by  the  very  capable  and  intelligent 
officer  with  his  officers  and  crew  sent  in  command 
of  the  Kilauea.  I  must  ask  your  Majesty,  also,  to 
accept  my  thanks  and  those  of  my  officers  and 
men  for  the  sympathy  shown  us  in  our  probable 
distress;  for  the  personal  interest  taken  by  you  in 
the  speedy  dispatch  of  the  Kilauea.  Your  Majes- 
ty's Minister  of  the  Interior,  also,  manifested  the 
strongest  interest  in  our  relief;  to  his  energetic 
and  efficient  efforts  was  it  due  that  your  inten- 
tions were  so  promptly  carried  into  effect. 

At  Ocean  Island  we  recognized  your  Majesty's 
ship  as  soon  as  she  appeared  on  the  horizon.  Our 
feelings  of  gratitude  may  perhaps  be  imagined, 
but  can  only  be  thoroughly  appreciated  by  those 
who  have  been  placed  in  a  similar  situation.  On 
our  arrival  in  port  we  were  welcomed  with  the 
most   warm-hearted   cordiality,  and   since   have 

(98) 


o 

o 
s 

H 


O 
<! 

- 

H 
Ph 

a 
o 

>-9 


THE  FATE  OF  THE  GIG 

received  abundant  proofs  of  the  kind  feelings  of 
the  Hawaiian  people. 

One  officer  and  four  men  belonging  to  my  vessel 
bravely  and  generously  volunteered  on  a  long  sea 
voyage  in  a  small  boat  for  the  relief  of  their  ship- 
mates. These  finally,  with  one  exception,  made 
sacrifice  of  their  lives  upon  the  shores  of  the  island 
of  Kauai.  Your  Majesty's  subjects  on  that  island 
received  the  survivor  of  the  boat's  crew  with  great 
kindness  and  hospitality.  They  were  most  solicit- 
ous to  recover  the  remains  of  my  officer  and  his 
men,  and  to  inter  them  in  a  suitable  and  Christian 
manner.  I  desire  again  to  return  thanks  for  all  that 
has  been  done  for  the  Saginaw's  officers  and  crew. 

His  Majesty  replied  to  the  captain  as 
follows:  — 

Captain  —  I  am  pleased  to  see  you -here  to-day 
and  congratulate  you  and  the  officers  and  crew  of 
the  late  United  States  Ship  Saginaw  upon  the 
delivery  from  their  unpleasant  position  upon  a 
desolate  island.  I  am  glad  that  my  Government 
has  been  enabled  to  render  you  assistance.  The 
officers  of  your  Service  in  this  ocean  have  always 

(99) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    SAGINAW 

shown  themselves  prompt  to  go  to  the  assistance 
of  distressed  men  of  all  nations,  and  I  have  lately 
had  a  proof  of  their  prompt  humanity  in  the  offer 
of  Captain  Truxton,  of  the  ship  Jamestown,  to 
assist  some  of  my  subjects  in  the  Micronesian 
Islands,  and  in  the  efficient  aid  which  he  rendered 
them.  Such  interchanges  tend  to  promote  per- 
sonal and  national  friendship. 

I  sympathize  with  you,  Captain,  for  the  loss 
of  your  ship  —  a  misfortune  always  keenly  felt 
by  a  sensitive  officer,  however  unavoidable  it  may 
have  been.  I  sympathize  with  you  for  the  loss  of 
the  gallant  officer  and  men  who,  after  a  long  voy- 
age in  an  open  boat,  met  their  death  on  the  shores 
of  Kauai.  Such  examples  of  devotion  to  duty  are 
a  rich  legacy  to  all  men.  Permit  me,  Captain,  to 
express  a  hope  that  you  and  your  officers  who 
have  shared  with  you  your  service  in  this  ocean 
for  some  time  past  and  your  peril  in  the  late  ship- 
wreck may  live  to  attain  the  highest  honors  in 
your  profession. 

On  Saturday  last  there  was  held  a  sale  by  a 
local  auctioneer  of  such  articles  belonging  to 

(  100  ) 


THE  FATE  OF  THE  GIG 

the  Navy  Department  as  we  were  able  to 
bring  away  from  Ocean  Island.  Among  them 
was  included  the  gig  which  Halford  brought 
from  the  island  of  Kauai.  We  were  surprised 
to  learn  later  that  the  boat  had  been  bid  in 
by  a  syndicate  of  our  friends  for  presentation 
to  us  as  a  souvenir.  It  has  been  accepted  and 
we  are  considering  plans  for  its  future  preserv- 
ation. I  went  down  to  the  dock  yesterday 
to  see  it  prepared  for  shipment,  and  its  sad 
story  was  almost  told  in  the  scars  upon  it. 
Its  bow  was  bound  with  iron  straps  and  a 
large  gap  in  the  starboard  side  was  covered 
with  canvas.  Its  wounds  seemed  almost  as 
making  a  mute  appeal  for  sympathy,  and  ex- 
pressed the  struggle  it  had  gone  through. 

Halford's  Story 

When  we  left  Ocean  Island,  November  18th, 
we  ran  to  the  north  to  latitude  32°,  there  took 
the  westerly  winds  and  ran  east  to,  as  Mr. 

(  101  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

Talbot  supposed,  the  longitude  of  Kauai 
(Kowee),  but  it  proved  ultimately  that  we 
were  not  within  a  degree  of  that  longitude. 
We  then  stood  south.  Five  days  out  we  lost 
all  light  and  fire  and  had  no  means  of  making 
either  —  no  dry  tinder  or  wood,  although  we 
had  flint  and  steel.  About  five  or  six  days 
before  making  Kauai  we  succeeded  in  getting 
a  light  with  a  glass  taken  from  an  opera  glass. 
We  suffered  much  from  wet,  cold,  and  want  of 
food.  The  ten  days'  ration  of  bread  in  a  can- 
vas bag  was  mostly  spoiled;  the  two  tins  of 
cooked  beans  could  not  be  eaten,  causing 
dysentery,  as  did  also  the  boiled  wheat;  the 
gallon  of  molasses  leaked  out,  and  the  sugar, 
tea,  and  coffee  were  spoiled  by  wetting.  To 
the  dessicated  potato,  five  five-pound  tins  of 
which  were  given  us  at  the  last  moment  before 
sailing,  we  attributed  the  preservation  of  our 
lives  from  starvation.  For  the  last  week  it 
was  all  we  had,  mixed  with  a  little  fresh  water. 

(  102  ) 


STARBOARD  SIDE   OF  THE  GIG  AFTER  HER  EVENTFUL 

JOURNEY 


^VhvI      \ 

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Jr  Br  %i      \ 

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A -mm 

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^gj^        •>'j^3l 

WSffi^fismsmM 

DECK  VIEW  OF  THE  GIG  AFTER  HER  EVENTFUL  JOURNEY 


THE  FATE  OF  THE  GIG 

We  had  heavy  weather  while  running  to 
the  eastward;  hove  to  with  the  sea  anchor 
twice,  the  last  time  lost  it.  We  then  made 
another  drag  from  three  oars,  which  was  also 
lost.  Then  we  made  still  another  from  two 
oars  and  a  square  of  sail  by  crossing  them. 
That  lasted  for  three  turns  of  bad  weather; 
but  the  third  time  it  broke  adrift  and  all  was 
lost. 

Mr.  Talbot  was  ill  with  diarrhoea  for  seven 
or  eight  days,  but  got  better,  although  he 
continued  to  suffer  much  from  fatigue  and 
hardship.  He  was  somewhat  cheerful  the 
whole  passage.  Muir  and  Andrews  were  sick 
for  two  or  three  weeks.  Francis  was  always 
well. 

We  did  not  make  land  within  a  week  of 
what  we  expected.  The  first  land  we  saw  was 
KawaihuaRock,  at  the  southern  end  of  Niihau 
(Neehow)  Island,  on  Friday  morning,  Decem- 
ber 16th.   We  stood  north  by  east,  with  the 

(  103  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

island  in  sight  all  day.  During  that  night  and 
Saturday  stood  northeast  by  north,  and  on 
Saturday  night  headed  east  and  south  south- 
east. 

Sunday  morning  the  wind  allowed  us  to 
head  southeast  with  the  island  of  Kauai  in 
sight,  and  Sunday  night  we  were  off  the  Bay 
of  Halalea  on  the  north  coast.  We  then  hove 
to  with  head  to  the  northwest,  the  wind  hav- 
ing hauled  to  the  westward.  W7e  laid  thus 
until  eleven  p.m.  It  being  my  watch  on  deck, 
I  called  Mr.  Talbot  and  told  him  that  the 
night  was  clear  and  I  could  see  the  entrance 
to  Halalea  Harbor.  He  ordered  the  boat  to 
be  kept  away  and  steered  for  the  entrance. 
As  we  came  near  the  entrance  it  clouded  up 
and  became  dark,  so  we  hove  to  again  with 
head  to  the  northwest.  At  one  a.m.  I  called 
my  relief .  Andrews  and  Francis  came  on  deck, 
as  did  also  Mr.  Talbot.  After  I  went  below 
the  boat  was  again  kept  away  toward  the 

(  104  ) 


THE  FATE  OF  THE  GIG 

land  for  a  short  time  and  again  hove  to.  At 
a  little  past  two  a.m.  Sunday  morning  she  was 
kept  away  again  for  the  third  time.  I  re- 
mained below  until  I  felt  from  the  boat's 
motion  that  she  was  getting  into  shoal  water. 
Then  I  awoke  Muir  and  told  him  it  was  time 
we  went  on  deck.  He  did  not  go,  but  I  did. 
Just  as  I  got  to  the  cockpit  a  sea  broke 
aboard  abaft.  Mr.  Talbot  ordered  to  bring 
the  boat  by  the  wind.  I  hauled  aft  the  main 
sheet  with  Francis  at  the  helm  and  the  boat 
came  up  into  wind.  Just  then  another  breaker 
broke  on  board  and  capsized  the  boat.  An- 
drews and  Francis  were  washed  away  and 
were  never  afterwards  seen.  Muir  was  still 
below,  and  did  not  get  clear  until  the  boat 
was  righted,  when  he  gave  symptoms  of  in- 
sanity. Before  the  boat  was  righted  by  the 
sea  Mr.  Talbot  was  clinging  to  the  bilge  of 
the  boat  and  I  called  him  to  go  to  the  stern 
and  there  get  up  on  the  bottom.    While  he 

(  105  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

was  attempting  to  do  so  he  was  washed  off 
and  sank.  He  was  heavily  clothed  and  much 
exhausted.  He  made  no  cry.  I  succeeded  in 
getting  on  to  the  bottom  and  stripped  myself 
of  my  clothes.  Just  then  the  sea  came  and 
righted  the  boat.  It  was  then  that  Muir  put 
his  head  up  the  cockpit,  when  I  assisted  him 
on  deck.  Soon  afterward  another  breaker 
came  and  again  upset  the  boat;  she  going  over 
twice,  the  last  time  coming  upright  and  headed 
on  to  the  breakers.  We  then  found  her  to  be 
inside  of  the  large  breakers,  and  we  drifted 
toward  the  shore  at  a  place  called  Kalihi 
Kai,  about  five  miles  from  Hanalei.  I  landed 
with  the  water  breast-high  and  took  with 
me  a  tin  case  of  dispatches  and  letters.  On 
board  there  was  a  tin  box  with  its  cover 
broken  containing  navigation  books,  charts, 
etc.,  also  Captain  Sicard's  instructions  to 
Lieutenant  Talbot,  with  others,  among  which 
were  Muir's  and  Andrews's  discharge  papers; 

(  106  ) 


THE  FATE  OF  THE  GIG 

they  having  been  shipped  November  15th  for 
one  month.  (They  belong  to  the  contractors, 
in  whose  employ  they  were  previous  to  that 
time.)  This  box  also  contained  Francis's  and 
my  transfer  papers  and  accounts  destined  for 
the  Mare  Island  Navy  Yard.  This  box  with 
everything  not  lashed  fell  into  the  water 
when  we  were  first  upset. 

I  landed  about  three  a.m.,  but  saw  no  one 
until  daybreak,  when,  seeing  some  huts,  I 
went  to  them  and  got  assistance  to  get  the 
boat  onto  the  beach.  I  had  previously,  by 
making  five  trips  to  the  boat,  succeeded  in 
bringing  ashore  the  long  tin  case  first  men- 
tioned, the  chronometer,  opera  glasses,  baro- 
meter, one  ship's  compass,  boat's  binnacle 
compass,  and  had  also  assisted  Muir  to  the 
shore.  He  was  still  insane,  saying  but  little  and 
that  incoherently.    He  groaned  a  great  deal. 

I  was  now  much  exhausted  and  laid  myself 
down  to  rest  until  sunrise,  when  I  looked  for 

(  107  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE   SAGINAW 

Muir  and  found  him  gone  from  the  place  I 
left  him.  Soon  after  I  found  him  surrounded 
by  several  natives,  but  he  was  dead  and  very 
black  in  the  face. 

During  the  day  I  got  some  food  and  cloth- 
ing from  the  natives  —  one  of  them  called 
Peter.  After  resting  myself  Peter  and  I  went 
on  horseback  over  to  Hanalei  to  Sheriff  Wil- 
cox and  Mr.  Burt.  Then  we  returned  with 
the  sheriff  and  coroner  to  Kalihi  Kai,  where 
an  inquest  was  held  over  the  bodies  of  Lieu- 
tenant Talbot  and  Muir,  the  former  having 
drifted  ashore  just  before  I  left  Kalihi  Kai 
for  Hanalei.  Mr.  Talbot's  forehead  was 
bruised  and  blackened,  apparently  from  hav- 
ing struck  the  boat  or  wreckage. 

After  the  inquest  the  two  bodies  were  taken 
to  Hanalei,  put  into  coffins  and  buried  the 
next  day  in  one  grave  at  a  place  where  a  sea- 
man belonging  to  the  U.S.S.  Lackawanna 
was  buried  in  1867.    Funeral  services  were 

(  108  ) 


THE  FATE  OF  THE  GIG 

performed  by  Mr.  Kenny  by  reading  the 
Episcopal  burial  service,  and  the  two  Misses 
Johnson  (daughters  of  an  American  mission- 
ary) singing. 

Before  I  left  Hanalei  for  Honolulu  it  was 
reported  by  a  half- white  who  had  been  left  to 
watch  the  shore  at  Kalihi  Kai  that  Andrews's 
body  had  come  ashore  and  had  been  taken 
care  of. 

Captain  Dudoit,  the  schooner  Wainona, 
offered  to  bring  me  direct  to  Honolulu,  leav- 
ing his  return  freight  at  Wainiea  for  another 
trip.  I  accepted  the  same  through  Mr.  Bent, 
and  we  sailed  for  Honolulu  on  the  evening 
of  Tuesday,  December  20,  and  arrived  at 
Honolulu  at  eleven  a.m.,  December  24, 
bringing  with  me  the  effects  saved  as  afore- 
mentioned. I  went,  on  landing,  immediately 
to  the  United  States  Consul's  office,  where  I 
saw  him  and  the  Minister  President  and  told 
to  them  my  story. 

(  109  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

(Note.  The  reader  may  remember  the  inci- 
dent I  related  as  occurring  at  the  time  we 
were  provisioning  the  gig;  the  discovery  that 
the  boiled  rice  had  fermented  and  the  hasty 
substitution  of  the  dessicated  potatoes.  Hal- 
ford  was  emphatic  to  me  in  the  assertion  that 
the  potato  was  the  preserver  of  their  lives  and 
that  mixed  with  water  it  constituted  their 
only  food  during  the  last  week  of  their  suffer- 
ings. The  dessicated  potato  was  at  that  time 
a  part  of  the  Navy  ration.  It  was  also  called 
"evaporated,"  and  was  prepared  by  thor- 
oughly drying  the  potato  and  coarsely  grind- 
ing it.  In  appearance  it  resembles  a  very 
coarse  meal.) 

Halford  has  told  me  of  several  remarkable 
incidents  which  happened  during  the  voyage 
of  the  gig  and  which,  although  not  considered 
essential  in  his  official  statement,  would  be 
lifelong  memories  to  him. 

( no  >; 


WILLIAM  HALFORD 

The  only  survivor  of  the  gig's  crew.    (Now  a  retired  chief  gunner  in 

the  Navy.) 


THE  FATE  OF  THE  GIG 

Of  one  of  these  he  says  —  and  I  give  his 
own  words:  "We  were  scudding  before  a  gale 
of  wind  under  a  reefed  square  sail.  A  nasty 
sea  was  running  at  the  time.  I  was  standing 
in  the  after  hatch  steering;  had  the  reeving 
string  of  the  cover  that  was  nailed  around  the 
combings  drawn  tight  under  my  armpits  to 
keep  out  the  sea  as  it  washed  over  the  boat, 
when  I  felt  a  shock.  The  boat  almost  cap- 
sized, but  the  next  sea  lifted  her  over.  I 
looked  astern  and  saw  a  great  log  forty  or 
fifty  feet  long  and  four  or  five  feet  in  diame- 
ter, water-logged  and  just  awash.  We  had 
jumped  clean  over  it.  It  was  a  case  of  touch 
and  go  with  us." 

Of  another  incident  he  says:  "One  night 
I  had  relieved  Peter  Francis  at  the  tiller  and 
he  had  crawled  forward  on  deck.  Somehow 
or  other  he  got  overboard;  luckily  we  had  a 
strong  fishing-line  trailing  astern  all  the 
voyage,  but  never  got  as  much  as  a  bite  until 

(HI) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

it  caught  Francis  and  we  got  him  on  board 
again.   It  was  a  bright  moonlight  night." 

Of  another  happening  he  says:  "Then, 
when  our  provisions  had  run  out  entirely,  a 
large  bird  came  and  landed  on  the  boat  and 
looked  at  me  as  I  stood  at  the  tiller.  The 
other  four  at  this  time  were  very  weak  from 
want  of  food  and  from  dysentery;  they  were 
more  dead  than  alive.  I  caught  the  bird,  tore 
off  the  feathers,  cut  it  up  in  five  pieces,  and 
we  all  had  a  good  meal.  It  was  raw,  but  it 
tasted  good.  About  thirty-six  hours  after 
this,  just  at  break  of  day,  as  I  was  sitting  at 
the  tiller,  I  felt  something  strike  my  cheek.  It 
was  a  little  flying-fish.  I  caught  it,  and  soon 
a  school  of  them  came  skipping  along,  several 
dropping  on  deck.  I  captured  five  or  six  of 
them  and  they  gave  us  the  last  meal  we  had 
on  the  gig:  for  at  daylight  I  saw  land  — 
Tahoora  or  Kaula  Rock." 

(  112  ) 


THE  FATE  OF  THE  GIG 

Our  captain  has  made  the  following  report 
to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  which  adds  to 
and  confirms  the  story  of  the  lone  survivor 
of  the  gig:  — 

Honolulu,  Hawaiian  Islands, 
January  18,  1871. 

Sir  :  —  I  forward  herewith  the  brief  report 
called  for  by  regulation  of  the  death  of  Lieutenant 
J.  G.  Talbot  (and  also  three  of  the  crew  of  the 
United  States  Steamer  Saginaw)  at  the  island  of 
Kauai  (Hawaiian  Group). 

I  feel  that  something  more  is  due  to  these  de- 
voted and  gallant  friends,  who  so  nobly  risked 
their  lives  to  save  those  of  their  shipmates,  and  I 
beg  leave  to  report  the  following  facts  regarding 
their  voyage  from  Ocean  Island  and  its  melan- 
choly conclusion. 

The  boat  (which  had  been  the  Saginaw's  gig 
and  was  a  whaleboat  of  very  fine  model)  was  pre- 
pared for  the  voyage  with  the  greatest  care.  She 
was  raised  on  the  gunwale  eight  inches,  decked 
over,  and  had  new  sails,  etc. 

The  boat  left  Ocean  Island  November  18,  1870. 

(  113  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

The  route  indicated  by  me  to  Lieutenant  Talbot 
was  to  steer  to  the  northward  "by  the  wind"  until 
he  got  to  the  latitude  of  about  32  degrees  north, 
and  then  to  make  his  way  to  the  eastward  until 
he  could  "lay"  the  Hawaiian  Islands  with  the 
northeast  trade  winds.  He  seems  to  have  followed 
about  that  route.  The  boat  lost  her  sea  anchor 
and  oars  in  a  gale  of  wind  and  a  good  deal  of  her 
provision  was  spoiled  by  salt  water.  The  naviga- 
tion instruments,  too,  were  of  but  little  use,  on 
account  of  the  lively  motions  of  the  boat.  When 
she  was  supposed  to  be  in  the  longitude  of  Kauai 
she  was  really  about  one  and  one  half  degrees  to 
the  westward;  thus,  instead  of  the  island  of  Kauai 
she  finally  sighted  the  rock  Kauhulaua  (the  south- 
western point  of  land  in  the  group)  and  beat  up 
from  thence  to  the  island  of  Kauai.  She  was  hove 
off  the  entrance  of  Hanalei  Bay  during  part  of  the 
night  of  Monday,  December  19th,  and  in  attempt- 
ing to  run  into  the  Bay  about  2.30  a.m.  she  got 
suddenly  into  the  breakers  (which  here  made  a 
considerable  distance  from  the  shore)  and  cap- 
sized. 

I  enclose  herewith  a  copy  of  the  deposition  of 

(  114  ) 


THE  FATE  OF  THE  GIG 

William  Halford,  coxswain,  the  only  survivor  of 
this  gallant  crew;  his  narrative  being  the  one  from 
which  all  accounts  are  taken.  I  have  not  seen 
him,  personally,  as  he  left  here  before  my  arrival. 

Peter  Francis,  quartermaster,  and  John  An- 
drews, coxswain,  were  washed  overboard  at  once 
and  disappeared.  Lieutenant  Talbot  was  washed 
off  the  boat,  and  when  she  capsized  he  clung  to  the 
bottom  and  tried  to  climb  up  on  it,  going  to  the 
stern  for  that  purpose;  the  boat  gave  a  plunge  and 
Halford  thinks  that  the  boat's  gunwale  or  stern 
must  have  struck  Mr.  Talbot  in  the  forehead  as  he 
let  go  his  hold  and  went  down. 

James  Muir  was  below  when  the  boat  struck 
the  breakers,  and  does  not  appear  to  have  come  out 
of  her  until  she  had  rolled  over  once.  He  must 
have  suffered  some  injury  in  the  boat,  as  he  ap- 
pears to  have  been  out  of  his  mind  and  his  face 
turned  black  immediately  after  his  death.  As  will 
be  seen  by  Halford's  statement,  Muir  reached 
shore,  but  died  of  exhaustion  on  the  way  to  the 
native  huts. 

The  body  of  John  Andrews  did  not  come  on 
shore  until  about  December  20th.  All  clothes  had 

(  H5) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

been  stripped  from  it.  The  body  of  Peter  Francis 
has  never  been  recovered. 

The  bodies  are  buried  side  by  side  at  Hanalei 
(Kauai).  The  service  was  read  over  them  in  a 
proper  manner.  Suitable  gravestones  will  be 
erected  over  them  by  subscription  of  the  officers 
and  crew  of  the  Saginaw. 

As  soon  as  we  had  gotten  on  Ocean  Island  after 
the  Saginaw's  wreck,  Lieutenant  Talbot  volun- 
teered to  take  this  boat  to  Honolulu,  and  the  rest 
volunteered  as  soon  as  it  was  known  that  men 
might  perhaps  be  wanted  for  such  service. 

Mr.  Talbot  was  a  very  zealous  and  spirited 
officer.  I  had  observed  his  excellent  qualities  from 
the  time  of  his  joining  the  Saginaw  (September  23, 
1870)  in  Honolulu.  During  the  wreck  and  after- 
wards he  rendered  me  the  greatest  assistance  and 
service  by  his  fine  bearing,  his  cheerfulness,  and 
devotion  to  duty.  His  boat  was  evidently  com- 
manded with  the  greatest  intelligence,  fortitude, 
and  gallantry  and  with  the  most  admirable  devo- 
tion.  May  the  Service  always  be  able  to  find  such 
men  in  the  time  of  need. 

The  men  were  fine  specimens  of  seamen  —  cool 

(  H6) 


THE  FATE  OF  THE  GIG 

and  brave,  with  great  endurance  and  excellent 
physical  strength.  They  were,  undoubtedly,  those 
best  qualified  in  the  whole  party  on  Ocean  Island 
to  perform  such  a  service.  Both  Lieutenant  Talbot 
and  his  men  had  very  firm  confidence  in  their  boat 
and  looked  forward  with  cheerfulness  to  the  voy- 
age. Such  men  should  be  the  pride  of  the  Navy, 
and  the  news  of  their  death  cast  a  deep  gloom  over 
the  otherwise  cheerful  feelings  with  which  the 
Kilauea  was  welcomed  at  Ocean  Island. 

I  do  not  know  that  I  sufficiently  express  my 
deep  sense  of  their  devotion  and  gallantry;  words 
seem  to  fail  me  in  that  respect. 

Previous  to  the  sailing  of  the  boat  from  Ocean 
Island  I  had  enlisted  John  Andrews  and  James 
Muir  as  seamen  for  one  month.  Since  I  have 
ascertained  their  fate  I  have  ordered  them  to  be 
rated  as  petty  officers  (in  ratings  allowed  to  most 
of  the  "fourth  rates"),  as  I  have  thought  that  all 
the  crew  of  that  boat  should  have  stood  on  equal 
footing  as  regards  the  amount  they  might  be 
entitled  to  in  case  of  disaster,  as  they  all  incurred 
the  same  risk. 

Andrews  and  Muir  belonged  to  the  party  of 

(  H7  ) 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   SAGINAW 

Mr.  G.  W.  Townsend  (the  contractor  at  Midway 
Islands),  and  it  was  made  a  condition,  by  them,  of 
their  enlistment  that  it  should  not  interfere  with 
their  contract  with  Mr.  Townsend.  It  was  in- 
tended as  the  security  of  their  families  against 
the  risk  incurred  while  performing  the  great  ser- 
vice for  the  shipwrecked  party.  I  have  forwarded 
their  enlistment  papers  to  the  Bureau  of  Equip- 
ment and  Recruiting. 

I  am  very  respectfully, 
Your  obedient  Servant, 
Montgomery  Sicard, 
Lieut.  Comdr.  U.S.N.  Comd'g. 
Hon.  George  M.  Robeson, 
Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

In  God's  Country  again 

San  Francisco,  February  8,  1871.  After  a 
pleasant  voyage  in  the  Moses  Taylor  we  are 
again,  all  hands,  —  minus  our  gallant  com- 
rades, —  on  American  soil,  and  the  cruise  of 
the  Saginaw  is  officially  closed.  The  officers 
have  taken  up  quarters  on  shore,  and  the  crew 

(118) 


THE  TABLET 

Now  on  the  walls  of  the  chapel  at  the  United  States  Naval  Academy 


THE  FATE  OF  THE  GIG 

temporarily  transferred  to  the  U.S.  Steamer 
Saranac  for  discharge  or  detail  as  their  period 
of  enlistment  may  require.  The  gig  came  with 
us  and  will  be  temporarily  stored  until  it  is 
decided  as  to  her  future.  We  have  started  a 
subscription  for  a  suitable  memorial  to  the 
gig's  heroes,  and  the  other  ships  of  the  squad- 
ron have  generously  offered  their  help.  The 
most  approved  plan  seems  to  be  a  marble 
tablet  on  the  walls  of  the  chapel  at  the  Naval 
Academy,  and  the  captain  has  made  a  sketch 
of  one  as  it  would  appear  there. 

(Note.  November  1,  1871.  The  tablet  as 
designed  has  been  completed  and  delivered 
at  the  Naval  Academy.  The  following  pic- 
ture shows  its  appropriate  character,  and  I 
deem  it  a  fitting  conclusion  to  my  story.  The 
gig  is  also  to  go  to  the  Naval  Academy  to  be 
deposited  in  the  Museum.) 

THE   END 


APPENDIX 


I  have  been  asked  several  times  how  it  came 
about  that  our  good  ship  could  have  met  her  sad 
fate  when  so  recently  out  of  port,  her  officers 
knowing  the  existence  of  the  dangers  so  near.  I 
have  confined  my  narrative  to  personal  experi- 
ences and  to  incidents  of  the  life  under  the  con- 
ditions surrounding  us.  However,  as  such  ques- 
tions may  arise  in  the  mind  of  some  readers  and 
in  order  to  enlighten  them,  I  set  down  below  some 
copies  of  the  results  from  official  investigations  by 
those  higher  in  authority. 

First:  There  is  the  report  of  the  Court  of  In- 
quiry held  upon  our  arrival  in  San  Francisco, 
which  reads  thus :  — 

The  Court  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  wrecking  of  the 
Saginaw  was  caused  by  a  current,  as  the  evidence  shows 
care  in  running  the  vessel  at  a  safe  rate  of  speed  and  the 
log-line  was  found  to  be  correct  two  days  before  and 

(  121  ) 


APPENDIX 

had  been  used  only  ten  hours  at  sea  afterward,  and  that 
Lieutenant  Commander  Montgomery  Sicard  used  due 
vigilance  and  care  in  the  navigation  of  his  vessel,  and 
after  striking  upon  the  reef  that  he  exercised  sound 
judgment  and  exhibited  great  skill  and  prudence. 

This  was  followed  later  by  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy's  annual  report  to  the  President,  from  which 
the  following  is  an  extract :  — 

Leaving  Midway  Islands  on  the  28th  of  October, 
Commander  Sicard,  of  the  Saginaw,  determined  to  run 
to  Ocean  Island,  a  small  island  lying  about  one  hundred 
miles  to  the  westward  of  Midway,  to  rescue  any  sailors 
who  might  have  been  wrecked  there  and  who,  being  out 
of  the  ordinary  track  of  vessels  in  that  part  of  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  would  have  little  chance  of  relief  from 
any  other  source.  This  expedition,  though  in  the  direct 
line  of  his  duty  as  the  commander  of  a  naval  vessel,  was 
fraught  with  the  usual  perils  of  navigation  in  unknown 
and  dangerous  waters,  and  about  three  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  29th  of  October,  the  Saginaw,  running 
slowly  in  the  darkness,  was  wrecked  on  a  reef  outlying 
the  island  for  which  she  was  bound.  With  much  exer- 
tion and  the  exercise  of  much  energy  and  skill,  all  on 
board,  including  the  officers  and  men  of  the  ship  and 

(  122  ) 


APPENDIX 

the  working  party  from  Midway  Islands,  were  safely 
landed,  with  a  small  allowance  of  provisions  and  mate- 
rials rescued  from  the  wreck.  Cast  upon  the  shores  of 
an  uninhabited  island  with  scanty  means  of  subsist- 
ence, out  of  the  line  of  travel,  and  more  than  one  thou- 
sand miles  from  the  nearest  port  of  refuge  or  relief, 
then  it  was  that  the  commanding  officer  of  the  Saginaw 
illustrated  the  benefits  of  the  comprehensive  education 
and  strict  training  which  he  had  received  at  the  hands 
of  the  Government  and  exhibited  the  high  personal 
qualities  which  characterize  him  as  an  officer.  Ably 
seconded  by  his  subordinate  officers  of  every  grade, 
Commander  Sicard  took  immediately  every  possible 
means  for  the  health,  safety,  and  final  relief  of  those 
who  were  committed  to  his  command.  Whatever  could 
be  saved  from  the  wreck  was  at  once  secured;  measures 
were  immediately  taken  to  keep  up  the  health,  spirits, 
and  discipline  of  the  men:  fresh  water  was  distilled  by 
means  of  an  old  boiler,  and  everything  was  organized 
so  that  there  was  no  waste  of  either  provisions,  mate- 
rial, or  labor. 

The  boat  fittest  for  the  service  was  promptly  repaired, 
provisioned,  and  equipped,  as  far  as  might  be,  for  the 
perilous  voyage.  Manned  by  one  officer  and  four  men, 
all  of  whom  volunteered  for  the  service,  it  was  dis- 
patched to  Honolulu,  the  nearest  port  from  which 

(  123  ) 


APPENDIX 

relief  could  be  expected.  After  her  departure  work  was 
vigorously  pushed  on  the  island;  and  when  finally 
rescued,  the  shipwrecked  marines  with  well-directed 
labor  had  almost  completed,  from  the  material  of  their 
old  ship,  a  new  schooner  perfectly  seaworthy  and 
sufficient,  under  favorable  circumstances,  to  carry  the 
whole  shipwrecked  party  to  a  port  of  safety.  I  have 
thus  collated  some  of  the  facts  of  this  case  to  illustrate 
my  high  opinion  of  the  energy  and  ability  displayed  by 
Commander  Sicard  and  his  comrades  on  this  occasion 
and  to  show  how  well  such  conduct  repays  the  favor  of 
the  Government. 

After  relating  the  history  of  the  boat's  voyage 
which  we  have  already  read,  the  Secretary  con- 
cludes as  follows :  — 

The  death  of  Lieutenant  Talbot  closed  a  career  of 
unusual  promise,  and  in  it  the  Navy  lost  a  brilliant  and 
beloved  member.  A  skillful  sailor,  an  accomplished 
officer,  and  a  Christian  gentleman,  his  self-sacrifice  has 
arrested  the  attention  of  his  comrades  and  will  remain 
an  example  to  the  Service  which  in  life  his  virtues 
adorned  and  whose  highest  qualities  were  illustrated  in 
the  crowning  heroism  of  his  death.  His  comrades  of 
humbler  rank  will  not  be  forgotten;  with  him  they 
faced  the  dangers  of  the  lonely  ocean  and  offered  their 

(   124  ) 


APPENDIX 

lives  with  his  to  save  their  shipwrecked  messmates, 
and  no  one  can  estimate  how  much  of  danger  and  suf- 
fering, perhaps  death,  was  saved  through  the  courage 
and  endurance  of  the  sole  survivor  of  that  gallant  boat's 
crew. 


II 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  officers  and  crew 
of  the  Saginaw  as  it  appeared  on  the  pay-roll  at 
the  time  she  was  wrecked;  I  feel  that  I  should 
name  them  all  in  recognition  of  a  comradeship 
in  suffering  never  to  be  forgotten  where  each  one 
performed  his  duty  unflinchingly :  — 

Officers 

Montgomery  Sicard,  lieutenant  commander. 

John  G.  Talbot,  lieutenant. 

J.  K.  Cogswell,  Perry  Garst,  and  A.  H.  Parsons, 

ensigns. 
George  H.  Read,  passed  assistant  paymaster. 
James  Butterworth,  passed  assistant  engineer. 
H.  C.  Blye,  passed  assistant  engineer  (in  charge  of 

contractor's  party). 
John  J.  Ryan,  C.  D.  Foss,  Herschel  Main,  and 

Jones  Godfrey,  second  assistant  engineers. 
George  H.  Robinson,  master's  mate. 

Petty  Officers 
Peter  Francis,  quartermaster. 
Nicholas  Barton,  quartermaster. 

(  126) 


APPENDIX 

Thomas  Hayes,  sailmaker's  mate. 
John  Lane,  boatswain's  mate. 
James  Foschack,  gunner's  mate. 
J.  M.  Logan,  yeoman. 
William  Halford,  coxswain. 
Samuel  A.  Thompson,  master  at  arms. 
Charles  Hale,  paymaster's  yeoman. 
A.  E.  Myfinger,  cabin  steward. 
Solomon  Graves,  cabin  cook. 
Joseph  Ross,  wardroom  steward. 
George  D.  Wauchoss,  wardroom  cook. 
Henry  B.  Clark,  third-class  apothecary. 
William  Edman,  ship's  cook. 
Henry  Wallace,  steerage  steward. 
L.  McCabe,  steerage  cook. 

First-class  firemen,  Francis  Scott,  Lorenzo  Co- 
burg,  George  White. 

Second-class  fireman,  George  Hubert. 

Seamen,  William  Cairns,  Michael  Lynch,  Henry 
D.  Vivian,  Daniel  Collins. 

Ordinary  seamen,  Joseph  A.  Bailey,  John  H. 
Wallace,    Dennis    A.    Fitzgerald,    John    Daley, 

(  127  ) 


APPENDIX 

Charles  Brown,  Dennis  M.  Hayes,  Michael  Jor- 
dan, Edward  James. 

Landsmen,  James  Nichols,  W.  J.  Evans,  Edward 
O'Brien,  Thomas  Kearney,  J.  R.  Miller,  Martin 
Doran,  William  Fallon,  Thomas  Larkin,  Joseph 
McLaughlin,  George  Saunders,  William  Combs, 
Joseph  A.  Agarrie,  Michael  Garvey,  John  Murphy, 
John  Downs,  James  McNamara,  John  Riley, 
Thomas  Melody,  James  M.  Nolan. 

Marine  guard,  Charles  A.  Martin,  orderly  ser- 
geant; John  G.  Moore,  corporal;  Phillip  Morris, 
corporal. 

Privates,  D.  G.  Brennan,  Thomas  Wiseman, 
David  Muir,  James  Sarsfield,  Thomas  Jones,  John 
McGrath,  Lewis  Peck. 


<3Tbe  ftitoerjSibe  $te#tf 

CAMBRIDGE  .  MASSACHUSETTS 
U    .    S    .   A 


•Tie  1938 


JAN  31 


1939/ 


M  1 § MS 


Form  L-9-15m-7,'31 


A  A      000  154  289    3 


)RNIA 


